Light of Day
by Mall Rat Matt
Summary: It's the end of series 5: Mega is dead and the hotel is about to blow. But what might have happened if Amber, Jack, Lex, Slade and Ram hadn't fled, but decided to take one last shot at stopping the new virus? A series 6 story.
1. What If?

'Slade', Amber said softly as she put her hand on the young man's shoulder. 'He's gone, Slade. We have to go now'.

Slade opened his eyes and saw the face looking down at him, then quickly looked around at the rest of the room, unable to take the sympathy in those blue eyes. His own eyes found no comfort, however, as the empathy on Amber's face was echoed even in the faces of Lex, standing by the doorway, and Ram, who was sitting against one of the red-painted walls of the Technos' control room. Ram was recovering from the shock to his mind and body caused by his forced removal from the computer programme he had created to build a perfect world, after it had developed its own agenda. That same programme had now claimed the life of Slade's brother, Josh - he refused to call him Mega, even in his own head. Worst of all, both had failed in their attempts to stop the computerised version of Zoot from continuing with its plan to eradicate humanity, and soon a virus more deadly than the one that killed all the adults would be unleashed on the city; a virus, Slade knew, that Josh had been manufacturing in a secret lab here in the hotel. Most of the population were now fleeing for their lives, and hopefully spreading the word as they ran. Even the rest of the Mallrats were being forced to leave their homes, unable to find a way to stop this latest threat to the city.

Only Jack, standing at the other side of the door from Lex, appeared not to be paying any attention to Slade. He stood staring at the ceiling and muttering to himself, as if thinking of something else. Slade suspected the computer buff often looked that way. His eyes came to rest on Josh once again; he looked so peaceful lying there, but he knew there was nothing more he could do for him, as much as he wished he could. He had wanted to help Josh, to save him from what he had become, but instead he had only managed to get him killed. The way things were going, perhaps that was the best for him.

It must have only been a few seconds since Amber had spoken to him, but his thoughts were racing around his head so quickly that it felt as though it had been hours. He was both physically and mentally drained.

'Alright, let's go', he finally said, not realising how tense everyone had been until he felt the room relax. Their faces now showed how anxious they all were to leave the hotel before the computer released the virus. Every second counted, but Slade had been selfishly staying by his brother's side, delaying the others, when he knew that nothing could be done. Standing up, he released the grip he hadn't realised he held on his brother's lifeless hand, before turning to the others. Amber had left his side, unnoticed, and was now helping Ram slowly to his feet at the other end of the room. The former leader of the Technos was obviously still in a lot of pain, but at least he was alive. As he clung to Amber's arm he took one last, respectful look in Josh's direction. As Lex opened the door, Slade silently fell in behind Amber and Ram and headed out.

* * *

The sudden movement had jolted Jack out of his thoughts. He looked around to see the others heading towards the door. Mega still lay slumped on the chair, the headset he had been using dangling halfway to the floor. Slade wore an understandably pained expression, while Amber looked tired from the day's events and the weight of Ram on her arm. Ram himself seemed to be gaining strength, his steps becoming easier as they approached the door. Lex had already left the room.

'Guys, wait!' He pleaded. 'We can't just leave now, we have to do something!'

'We've already tried everything, Jack.' Amber said regretfully. 'There's nothing more we can do, apart from get away from here as fast as we can.'

'But I think I might have a solution!'

'Jack! We don't have time for this!' Amber really did sound tired.

'Just hear me out, ok? There are sprinklers in every room, right Ram?'

'I…I think so' Ram pondered, 'But I don't see…'

'All we need to do is turn on the one in Mega's lab. It should short-circuit the machine making the virus.'

'It'll never work, the computer has the power to override the sprinkler system in the hotel, so it's not just a case of lighting a fire underneath it!'

'I figured as much. Just give me a few minutes connected with that thing, I'm sure I can find a way to switch it on, just long enough to stop the virus then I'll be out.'

'Jack, no!' Amber cried. 'Are you insane? Didn't you see what it did to Mega, and to Ram? You wouldn't last five minutes in there!'

'What's stopping you guys in here?' Lex re-entered the room, looking anxious. 'We have to get out of here! Slade, tell them!'

'He's right. You can't win them all, Jack. There's nothing more we can do here.'

Jack held out his hands in exasperation, a frustrated expression on his face. 'I know I can do it! Just a few minutes, that's all I…'

'Jack, if I thought it would do any good, I'd be the first to agree but we might not have those few minutes! Think about Ellie! She needs you alive, Jack.' Amber took his hands in hers, willing him to drop the idea and get out of the hotel, but he shook them loose, clenching his fists in his hair.'

'You don't understand! I can do this! There isn't enough time to argue about it! Please, just trust me on this one. If that thing gets out…' He unclenched his fists and put his hands by his sides, closing his eyes and taking a breath to compose himself. When he opened his eyes his voice was calm once more. 'Amber, if this gets out, people are going to die. You remember how bad things were the first time, there's no way the whole city can be evacuated, even with the CityNet broadcasts we've put out and word-of-mouth. If we got out of this alive, I couldn't spend the rest of my life wondering how many people died because I valued my own life over theirs, or feeling guilty knowing that I could have at least tried something!'

The emotion in Jack's voice told Amber that he was speaking the desperate truth. She knew it because she would have felt the same way herself, if she was convinced she could save all those lives if only she would take a risk.

'Amber, just let him do it, or none of us will get out of here!'

'Lex is right. You're right, Jack. Do what you have to do. Just…be careful, ok?'

'I will, Amber. Just trust me. Ram, can you connect me up to this thing?'

As Jack and Ram made their way over to the laptop that was the source of all the trouble, Amber turned to the other two men. 'Lex. Slade. You don't have to be a part of this. You can go now, while there's still some time left. You could head…'

'I can't desert you guys now.' Slade cut in. 'Especially since you wouldn't be in this mess without me.' He glanced over to where his brother's body lay, next to where Jack was being hooked up to the computer.

'Besides,' shrugged Lex, 'I wouldn't want to miss out on any of the glory, would I?'

Amber smiled and touched his arm. 'Thanks, Lex' she said. 'And thanks, Slade. This isn't your mess, it's our mess. We'll fix it together.

'So,' Lex sighed, 'What do you want us to do?'

'Could you come with me to the lab, so we can see when the sprinklers come on and get Jack out of there as quickly as possible?'

'Sure. _If_ they come on.'

'Nice attitude, Lex.' Amber rolled her eyes. 'Slade, can you stay here with Ram and watch over Jack?'

'Actually, can I go to the lab? I can't stand it in here. I just need to get out.'

'Oh, yes. I'm sorry, Slade, I wasn't thinking. You go with Lex, I'll stay here.'

Slade and Lex nodded at each other then left the room. 'Good luck, buddy!' Lex called to Jack on his way out.'

'See you later' Amber whispered to them as they left.

'He's ready' Ram said. Amber turned round, her hands smoothing her coat out of nervousness.

'Do it' she replied.

Ram leaned over the computer and pushed a few keys. The LEDs on Jack's headset flickered then stayed on. The monitor on the laptop also flickered into life, showing the face of the computer Zoot. It grinned inanely before simply saying 'Jack.' Suddenly all the monitors in the room showed the face of Zoot, grinning and repeating over and over what the first had said. 'Jack.'

'Jack.'

'Jack.'

'Jack.'

'Jack.'

Amber looked at Ram. 'What have I done?' she breathed.


	2. Systems

'Jack…Jack…Jack…' The room echoed with the sound of dozens of computer Zoots saying the intruder's name.

'Can't you make it stop?' Amber pleaded with Ram, her hands placed over her ears in a desperate attempt to cut off the relentless drone of those computerised voices.

'There's nothing I can do from here. I _suppose_ I could patch myself in again. If I told you what to do…'

'Never mind' Amber replied. 'That would be dangerous enough even if you _were_ fully recovered from the last time you were in that thing, which I doubt.'

'I _am_ still a little sore.' Ram admitted.

'Thanks for the offer, though' Amber said, surprised by her former foe's generosity. He just shrugged in reply. Amber thought he was still upset that he hadn't been able to beat the programme himself, especially since it was supposed to obey him, its creator, in the first place. She decided not to say anything, and just watched Jack instead. Her friend just sat there, still completely calm and motionless. She wished she could see his eyes behind that headset, just to make sure everything was alright. Whatever he was facing in there - wherever _there_ was - he was showing no signs of any struggle. No signs of anything, in fact. Amber wondered how he could concentrate with the voices repeating over and over. Could he even hear them? Did he know what was going on in the real world? She remembered that Mega - she had to stop herself from looking over at the body - had known what was going on around him when he had been hooked up; he had asked for the headset to be left on after Ram had been removed by the programme. That memory only increased her fears for Jack. 'If he can hear what's going on,' she thought to herself, 'how can he be so calm?'

'He must have found something.' Ram said, obviously thinking the same as Amber. 'That's the only reason I can think of - the only one I _want_ to think of - as to how he can just sit like that. He must be concentrating so hard that he's blocking out the sound.'

'I hope you're right.'

'He's…he's our only chance now, isn't he?'

'If anyone can do it, Jack can. Let's just concentrate on keeping him safe. We can worry about the rest later if we have to.'

The pair stood, helpless, watching a motionless Jack, the occasional blinking of the lights on the headset the only indication that anything at all was happening. Amber made herself concentrate on Jack, however difficult it was seeing him like that. If she didn't, the only other option would have been to look at the seemingly never-ending wall of Zoot faces, staring and grinning, and she thought that if she did that, she would go mad for sure. All the while, the voices continued their hypnotic mantra.

'Jack…Jack…Jack…'

* * *

Frantically running through the busy city streets, Jay had no time to apologise to anyone he pushed past in the throng of city dwellers. Neither did they. They were all moving in the opposite direction, trying to escape the city and not caring about some fool Techno trying to go the other way. It was all Jay could do to keep moving against the tide of people. Twice now he had nearly been knocked to his feet and trampled by the crowd, after a particularly burly citizen had run into him. He had heard the screams of the unlucky few who had not kept their balance, but he knew that by the time he got to them there would be nothing he could do, and so kept running. He had to reach the hotel. He had to find Amber and bring her back to the boat. The others too, of course, but her most of all. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the girl running straight towards him until it was too late. They collided, but thinking quickly Jay dragged her into a nearby alley before they both ended up dead. The girl let out a high-pitched squeal as they careered into the alley, and only then did Jay realise who it was he held in his arms.

'Gel?!' he panted, half surprised, half glad to have run into someone he recognised. 'I thought you were with the others?'

'I went to pack a few more things, and when I came downstairs everybody had gone!' Her voice became more and more shrill, until finally the young girl broke down in tears. 'Oh, Jay! I thought I was going to be on my own again!' she sobbed.

'Hey, hey! Shh! It's alright!' Jay tried to comfort her, lifting her chin up so she could see the sincerity in his eyes. 'Now listen, do you know the way to the quayside?'

'Mmhmm' she nodded, sniffing. 'I think so.'

'Then go there. That's where the others were heading when I left them, they should still be there. May said she had a friend with a boat. It'll be the quickest way out of here.'

'What about you? Aren't you coming?'

'I'll be there', he reassured her. 'I just have to find Amber and the others at the hotel first. I promise I'll be there as soon as I can, ok?'

Gel nodded again, drying her eyes with a handkerchief. 'Good luck', she said, as Jay led her out of the alley. He watched her trailing her packed suitcase behind her, then continued on his way to the hotel. Exhausted though he was, he had to make it.

* * *

If it wasn't for the headset he was wearing, Jack felt as though his eyes would pop out of their sockets. Being a part of the Technos' computer network was exhilarating. From the moment Ram had patched him in, he had felt like he was on a speeding roller coaster, zipping thousands of miles in a heartbeat as he desperately trawled through the computer's systems, trying to find the information he wanted, the right path to go down. Physically, he saw nothing at all, but in his mind's eye he was floating above a highway of pure light, blazing bright in the darkness and stretching out beyond the horizon. He imagined paths leading out from the main highway in all directions, but he couldn't see where any of them were leading to. The whole thing seemed to pass by underneath him so quickly that his brain didn't have time to process the information. His inability to keep up with the speed things were going at inside the system was one of the only things that reminded him that he was himself, a human, not just another part of the network. It was one of the only things keeping him sane; that, and the sound of his own name reverberating inside his head. _Jack_. He thought that was his name, anyway. Vaguely, he remembered thinking that the noise was coming from outside. _Outside where? There is no outside. Consciousness is all._ He had to concentrate. The information was passing by too quickly, slipping out of his grasp. He had to forget himself. He had to be assimilated fully into the systems. _My systems_. The thought flickered through his mind, barely noticed, before being stored away. The voices. The only thing keeping him from being complete. The only way he could find what he wanted in time. _What do I want? Have to be complete!_ Concentrate. Forget himself. Get rid of the voices. Concentrate. The light shifted. He was following one of the paths, or rather what he wanted started moving towards _him_. He was sure he stayed in the same place, despite being nowhere at all. Things made no sense, then they made perfect sense. He couldn't have made the paths move, could he? Of course he could, they were his systems. He could do anything. He felt the end of the path approaching. Information washed over him, his mind processing it all and discarding what was useless, until he finally found what he had been searching for. _There! Stop the voices! Be complete!_ Everything fell silent.

* * *

Walking down the corridor, the only sound Lex heard was the _clump, clump_ of his and Slade's boots on the floor. Since the two of them had left Amber and Ram looking after Jack, it had been one of those awkward silent times. Whenever he tried to start a conversation with Slade all he got was a nod or perhaps a grunt if he was lucky. 'This is doing my head in,' he thought to himself. 'Can't he just talk about _something_? Anything, so I don't have to think about what's going to happen to us.' Thinking of another random question, he opened his mouth to ask it.

* * *

The short trip with Lex had been a nightmare for Slade. The guy just wouldn't stop talking! He was obviously freaking out about the whole situation, and wanted to take his mind off things. Slade was trying to keep a clear head, thinking of how they could escape if Jack was unsuccessful. So far he had come up with nothing. As Lex opened his mouth to speak again he ground his teeth in frustration, before interrupting.

'Lex, just shut up!' Lex's mouth worked, probably partly out of both surprise and anger, Slade thought. Slade mentally berated himself for letting his temper get the better of him like that, no matter how much stress he was under. He decided to try again, a gentler approach this time. 'Look Lex, I know you're just trying to get me to stop thinking about Josh, and I thank you for that, but I'm fine, really!'

More surprise, and confusion, appeared on Lex's face for an instant. 'Um, yeah. Right, ok.' he replied.

'That should give him something else to think about,' Slade thought. 'And hopefully calm him down.' His thoughts were distracted as they approached the last turn before the lab by a whirring noise. The lights flickered momentarily, then everything was back to normal again. 'I guess I spoke too soon,' he thought.

Both men had stopped in their tracks when the noise started. Now they just stood looking at each other, bodies braced to spring into action if any was necessary.

'What just happened there?' Lex asked, looking slightly worried.

'I don't know,' Slade answered him. 'But we'd better be ready for anything around that corner.' With that they ran into the corridor leading to the lab.


	3. Warnings

Amber stood in the middle of the room, directly opposite Jack. Her hands were clasped together by her stomach to keep herself from fidgeting, but occasionally she found herself repeatedly smoothing her coat and had to force her hands back into position. From time to time she watched Jack's chest, to make sure he was still breathing, then realised she was holding her own breath. It was at these times, when she had to remind herself to do as simple a thing as breathe, that she once again became aware of what else was going on in the room around her. It wasn't comforting. The first thing she noticed of course was the awful sound of those Zoot voices; they were enough to drive someone insane. She had managed to block them out eventually, each time she became aware of them, but they were still giving her a headache. She turned around, so she wouldn't see the monitors out of the corner of her eye, turning away from Jack at the same time - she felt guilty but there wasn't much she could do for him right now - and saw Ram. He was vigorously pacing the floor in front of her, from wall to wall, apparently lost in his own thoughts, as she had been. Amber wondered how long he had been doing that, how long they had both been doing that. Neither of them had spoken since they had both been concerned about how calm Jack appeared, but she didn't know how long ago that was. It seemed like hours had passed but it must only have been a matter of minutes. Still, it was a wonder they were here at all - she had expected the computer to have finished making the virus by now. Hopefully the fact that it hadn't was down to Jack. That would mean that he was doing something, that he was still there and not trapped in cyberspace somewhere. She turned her head to check on Jack, hoping for even the smallest sign of activity, but he was still the same.

As she turned back, she noticed that Ram had stopped pacing and was now looking at her. 'Any change?' he asked. She shook her head, and Ram went back to pacing the floor. Thinking he had finished, Amber started to turn back to Jack, but the Techno still had more to say. 'I don't like this!' he snapped, still pacing and making angry gestures with his hands. 'Something's not right! I just…there's nothing I can do!' Clearly frustrated, he stopped pacing, coming to a halt by a desk. He banged both of his fists down on the desk and then just stood there, leaning against it, with his head down.

Amber jumped at the sudden violent outburst. 'Keep quiet, you might disturb Jack!' she said irritably. 'Besides, violence isn't going to solve anything here!'

'No?' Ram replied, dragging a swivel chair out from under the desk and sending it careering into the wall as hard as he could. 'It seems to be working pretty well for me right now!' The chair bounced off the wall and rolled back towards him, toppling over at his feet. He stood staring at it for a moment, then picked it up and sat down in it. 'I'm sorry' he said, pushing his palms against his knees and closing his eyes in an effort to remain calm. 'You're right, I shouldn't have done that. I just can't stand all this waiting, you know?'

'I know' Amber said. 'It's getting to me too. We just have to try and stay calm.'

'Like Jack?' Ram quipped. Neither of them laughed.

Just then, Amber caught something moving out of the corner of her eye. Looking towards the door, she saw through the small glass panel that the lights in the corridor outside were flickering, just for an instant then it was as if nothing had happened.

'What is it?' Ram asked, noticing the look on Amber's face. 'Are Lex and Slade back?'

'No, nothing like that. It was just the lights outside flickering. Do you think it means anything?'

Ram opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out, as the lights in the room they were in suddenly went out. The monitors on the wall crackled and went dead one by one, silencing the Zoot voices and plunging the room into darkness apart from the light from the corridor coming through the glass panel, and the computer Jack was hooked up to - the only one still working. That monitor too had lost its Zoot face, and its blank screen created an eerie pool of light, with Jack in the middle, the flickering red lights on the headset increasing the creepy effect. Worse, Jack was now smiling. Amber felt butterflies in her stomach when she saw that smile. It reminded her of the grins on the Zoot faces. She felt Ram rising out of the chair and looked up into his face, just about noticeable in the poor light. He looked worried.

'I, er, I think _this_ means something' he said.

'Yeah, I can see that, but is it good or bad?' Amber mused.

'I wish I knew.'

At that moment, the lights in the room came back on. Amber and Ram both blinked, adjusting to the light. The monitors on the wall flickered back into life, but now showed only a fuzzy grey screen, not the Zoot faces.

'Did _Jack_ do all that?' Amber asked incredulously.

'It certainly seems that way.'

'So…that's a good thing, right? He's got control of the system, he can activate the sprinkler in the lab now.'

'Perhaps' was all Ram would say.

Amber went over to her friend sitting in the chair and knelt in front of him, taking one of his hands in hers. 'Come on Jack' she smiled, her eyes tearing up. 'You can do it.'

'Look!' Ram said, pointing at the wall of monitors, where a picture had appeared on each of the screens. Amber got up from where she was kneeling and went to stand next to Ram, blinking away the tears so she could see more clearly what was going on.

'At least it isn't the Zoot faces again' she said, as her vision returned to normal. 'But what is it?' The screens seemed to show another part of the hotel, an empty corridor.

'Usually these monitors would show images from the security cameras. Maybe they're just starting up again now that the programme is no longer in control' Ram said, sounding doubtful.

'Wait, there's something there!' Amber exclaimed, as a figure made its way unsteadily halfway along the corridor before collapsing on the floor.

'It's Lex!' Ram sounded shocked.

'Something must have happened in the lab!' Amber cried. 'Jack's trying to warn us, he must be!'

'Maybe. Listen, I'll go check it out, you stay here and keep an eye on Jack.'

'But I don't know what to do!'

'You don't have to do anything. I didn't want to tell you this before but, if he fails, there's not much point taking that headset off. If it looks like he's in trouble you can take it off if you really want to, but it'll be kinder to let him go the way Mega did than to let the virus get him.'

'Well, in that case, it's a good job he's not going to fail, isn't it?' Amber stood looking at him defiantly.

'Yeah, whatever, look I'll be back soon. Just don't touch anything, ok?'

Amber watched Ram leave the room, and waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps running down the corridor, before sitting down at one of the desks with her head in her hands, and beginning to cry.

Neither of them had noticed that Jack's smile had softened since Amber had touched his hand.

* * *

Since shutting down the voices, Jack no longer felt that everything was passing by him too quickly. It had taken several tries, searching for the right room, and then locating the source of the voices, but now he felt as if he could do anything. There was still a part of him, tucked away somewhere, that kept telling him that something was wrong, that he should be concentrating on finding…something, but he ignored it. There was also something else. Something that felt like him, but somehow wasn't. Every now and then, this third part kept blocking him, whenever he tried to follow a path. Sometimes he could force his way through, but increasingly he found that he had to find an alternative route. It was as though he was somehow fighting against himself, but he kept sensing anger from the other part, as if he was somehow intruding, but that couldn't be possible, could it? Every time he felt something, whether doubt from himself or anger from the other, the second part of himself - the part that was tucked away so he could be free to explore his systems - seemed to grow stronger. Whatever it wanted, it seemed important, but he didn't take orders.

Suddenly, he saw something, like a window to somewhere else. A corridor. About to discard the image, he paused, as a figure started moving in from one edge of his vision. Intrigued, he continued watching. The figure had long, dark hair and seemed vaguely familiar, even thought that couldn't be possible. As the figure fell to the ground, he prepared once more to delete the image. All of a sudden he felt a connection with something else and everything changed. Startled, he could no longer hold on to the image and it disappeared. He remembered everything. He was Jack, and he was inside Ram's computer programme. The connection he had felt was Amber. She was holding his hand and talking to him, but he couldn't speak; he felt trapped within his own mind. The image! That was Lex! He was in trouble, somewhere in the hotel. Somehow, Jack realised he must have stumbled across the hotel's surveillance system. Now, if only he could find that image again. Concentrating, he trawled through the files until he found what he was searching for. He hoped it wasn't too late. He sent the image to the screens in the room he sat in, outside wherever he was now. That was all he could do for Lex, but hopefully the others could still help him.

It was then that Jack realised that Slade had been with Lex. Where was he? He knew he didn't have much time. He still had to find the sprinkler system, and turn on the one in the lab, but first he had to check on Slade. He began to search through the files in the surveillance system once more.


	4. Visions

_A pale light came from somewhere, yet there were no lights on in the red-painted corridors. Amber stood at the centre of a crossroads, with each of the four routes before her stretching into darkness. The light didn't penetrate everywhere, it seemed. She turned to look back down the corridor she must have come down, brushing the leaves of a potted plant on her left as she did so, but it looked identical to the other pathways. She hoped she would be able to find her way back, in case Jack needed her. Not yet though, she had to keep running. As she began to search the corridors once more the light seemed to move with her, but she didn't notice; she had more important things to concentrate on, like finding Jay. She had first heard his calls for her, sounding far away, what seemed a long time ago, and he still wasn't getting any closer. He wasn't going to find her at this rate, so she would have to find him instead. Stopping again to listen for his call, she realised she was at a crossroads once more. Behind her and to her left was a tall potted plant, and in each direction the corridor stretched ahead into darkness. Had she been here before, or were all the corridors like this? Taking a right turn, she found herself at yet another crossroads, with all four paths leading into the darkness. This was impossible! Where was the turning she had just taken? Panicking, she headed back the way she thought she had come, passing another potted plant. Nothing. In desperation she ran her hands along the walls, but they were solid. This couldn't be happening._

'_Amber! Where are you?'_

'_Jay!' Amber half screamed. 'Jay, I'm here!' As fast as she could, she ran in the direction of where she thought Jay's voice was coming from. She turned countless corners at the same crossroads, tears streaming down her face, but Jay's voice never got any louder. She screamed his name until she was hoarse, and had almost given up all hope of ever seeing him again when finally she turned a final corner and there he was._

'_Jay! I thought I'd never find you! We have to help Jack!'_

'_Amber! Where are you?' Jay's lips moved but the voice still sounded like he was in the distance somewhere. His eyes looked straight through her, looking for her but not seeing that she was standing right in front of him._

'_Jay?' she asked tentatively, taking a step backwards. As she did so, something got in her way and she fell to the ground, grasping for whatever she could in a vain effort to steady herself. Something broke off in her hands. Leaves. They, and the crash of pottery she had heard as she hit the ground told her what she had tripped over. The potted plant. Jay still stood in front of her; her eyes moved back up from shin level to his face. With a gasp she crawled backwards, scratching her palms on the broken bits of pot on the floor. It wasn't Jay's face she was looking at, it was Zoot's, and he was no longer looking through her but straight at her, and grinning._

'_Here, let me help you up' a familiar voice said, as she felt herself being dragged to her feet. She looked around to see who had aided her, not expecting to see the face she saw._

'_Pride!?' she whispered, then felt the presence of others around her. She was still standing at the intersection of the corridors, facing Pride and with her back to Jay. At the mouth of the corridor to her left was Sasha, and on her right, Bray. Suddenly all three of the newcomers also wore Zoot's face. She was trapped, and they were moving towards her, grinning like the monitors in the control room. Walking backwards, she felt Jay's arms around her._

'_Amber! Where are you?' That distant voice again. There was nothing she could do. She screamed._

'_Amber! Where are you?'_

* * *

'Amber! Where are you?'

Amber woke with a start, her head shooting up and hands spreading out on the desk in front of her, not knowing where she was. Wide eyes, red-rimmed from crying, surveyed the room around her and soon everything fell into place once more. Her exhaustion had caught up with her and she had fallen asleep, but it had not been restful. At least it had only been a dream, if a bad one. She was still in the control room with Jack, who thankfully was no longer grinning like a Cheshire cat. Breathing a sigh of relief, she stood up and moved away from the desk, leaving behind sweaty handprints that at once began to evaporate. She had never thought of herself as a fragile person before, but now she was a wreck. Everything seemed to be getting on top of her, and she felt helpless. Serious rest would be needed if she ever got back to the mall.

'Amber? Jack? Is anyone still here?'

Amber froze in panic. Jay's voice from her dream. She _was_ awake, wasn't she? A flicker of motion caught her eye and she looked towards the wall of monitors. It was Jay, running through the hotel corridors. She wasn't trapped in her dream still; this must have been what had made her dream about Jay in the first place, that and the growing feeling of hopelessness inside her. She wondered how long he had been here.

'Amber!'

'I'm here, Jay!' she shouted, then laughed at her silliness. She was talking to television screens now. On closer inspection, however, Jay had now stopped and was looking around him as if trying to listen for something. Had he heard her? He must be closer than she thought. She beamed at Jack, to thank him for showing this to her, even though she knew he couldn't see her.

'We'll be right back, I promise.' she said, before dashing out of the room, calling for Jay.

* * *

Ram slowed to a walk as he approached Mega's lab. He grudgingly admitted to himself that the whole thing was very impressive, especially when you considered how short a time he must have managed to set it up in. The room had been a lowly storage cupboard when Ram had been leader of the Technos, and that equipment was not easy to come by. Ram had been thinking about it a lot, and had come up with only two possible explanations. The first was that Mega had brought it all with him during the initial invasion, in which case he had planned to overthrow Ram from the start. Had Java been in on it the whole time as well? Ram made himself move on from that thought. It wasn't something he wanted to dwell on. If Mega had planned this all along, he would have had to hide all the equipment somewhere in the hotel, which just wasn't possible. Jay was in charge of checking the storeroom inventories at first, and he had definitely not been in league with Mega. This made the second explanation much more likely. Mega must have had the equipment shipped in from headquarters sometime after Jay had left the Technos. That was the earliest he could have hidden something without Ram knowing. Both explanations, however, led to one undeniable fact - at least one high-ranking Techno back home was against him. As much as he hated to admit it, he was safer here, with the Mallrats. There was no way he could ever go back.

Stalking quietly along the last corridor, he listened out for any signs of danger, but he heard nothing, nothing at all. He turned into the lab corridor, unsure of what he would find there. What he saw was the last thing he expected. Slade and Lex whirled around, startled, from looking through the panel in the lab's door. Neither of them had as much as a scratch. Ram's brain worked to find an explanation.

'Ram?' they both said in unison.

'What are you doing here?' Slade asked. 'Is something wrong?'

'Lex, are you alright? We saw you on the screens in the control room. You were virtually at death's door.' Both Ram and Lex realised at the same time what Ram had just said.

'"Virtually" at death's door' said Lex, knowingly. 'Now why does that sound all too familiar?'

'I don't get it' said Slade, confused. 'What's going on?'

'The reality space programme Mega used on me, to make me think the Mallrats had been deleted.' The lights flickered again.

'That's the second time that's happened. What does it mean, Ram?'

'It means Jack's in trouble. We have to get back there quickly, I'll explain everything on the way.'

* * *

Slade watched Ram disappear around the corner, still unsure as to what exactly was going on. He nodded to Lex and the two men set off after Ram, slowing a little when they had caught up to him. Ram had a determined look on his face, he wasn't going to be beaten on this one if he could possibly help it. Slade couldn't help but feel partly responsible for what was going on. If only he had not taken Ram to Liberty. If only he hadn't left Josh. Shaking his head he reminded himself that what was done was done and it was what he did now that mattered.

'So let me get this straight' he spoke up. 'This computer programme, it used some sort of… virtual Lex, to trick you into thinking the real Lex was in trouble? Why would it do that?'

'Well, first of all' Ram replied. 'We don't know that it was the computer programme.'

'Jack?' questioned Lex, incredulously. 'Baloney! Jack wouldn't do that.'

'Ordinarily, no, but how much of Jack is actually left?'

'Stop being cryptic, Ram! What has your programme done to him?'

'But we don't know that it was Jack either?' Slade said, changing the subject. Lex looked furious.

'That's right' Ram said, waving his finger to note Slade's point. 'I've never seen anything like this before, it's fascinating!' he laughed.

'Jack isn't one of your twisted science experiments, you know!' Lex grabbed Ram's arm, twisting him round to face him and bringing the group to a halt.

'Look, the only person who knows…possibly…is Jack himself. My guess though,' Ram said, going back into lecture mode and showing no sign that Lex was restraining him, 'is that the programme is trying to trick him.'

'Why would it do that?' Slade asked, repeating his earlier question.

'Who can say? I'd like to talk to Jack about all this once we get out. The most likely reason is to get him alone so we can't help him, which is why,' Ram said, narrowing his eyes at Lex, 'we have to move quickly!'

'Amber.' Slade said.

Lex grunted and released his grip. Ram rubbed his arm and the three continued their journey in silence, the tension between Lex and Ram still evident.

As they reached the control room, Slade saw what looked like a sack of something on the floor, leaning against the wall opposite the door. As they got closer he realised it was wearing Amber's coat.

'We're too late.' he said softly.

'Amber!' Lex shouted at the same time, dashing towards his fellow tribe member. Ram and Slade increased their speed to reach her soon after him.

'Is she alright?' Slade asked.

'She's not hurt' Lex replied after checking her over 'but she's in a right state.'

Amber lay slumped against Lex, sobbing. Her hand reached up to grip on his shirt, while she lifted her head up to say something. Nothing came out but more sobs. She shook her head and tried to wipe away some of her tears with her free hand. Slade had never seen her like this before. From what he'd heard about Amber, she's been through so much and still remained strong, but whatever had happened while they had been away had obviously been the last straw for the girl.

'It's going to be alright' he told her, hoping that he was right.

* * *

While Lex and Slade were fussing over Amber, Ram was observing the scene inside the control room through the glass panel. It had come as no surprise upon trying the door to find that it was locked. Finding Amber outside had confirmed his suspicions that Jack did not have as much control over the system as they had first thought, and that the programme wanted him alone. Inside the room, Ram could see that the Zoot faces had returned and were laughing wildly, while Jack writhed in his chair, gritting his teeth and gripping the arms so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. That programme was the best thing he had ever written - he felt a mixture of pride and guilt at that thought - but it had to be stopped, and he would be the one to do it.


	5. Light of Day

Lex was bent down on one knee holding Amber, who continued to cry softly against his chest. Feeling uncomfortable, especially with Slade standing there watching him, he addressed the two men standing in the corridor. 'So does anyone have any bright ideas as to how we're going to get Jack out of there?' Slade shrugged unhelpfully, while Ram just stared into the control room. 'Ram? Hello? Earth to planet Ram!'

'I heard you the first time, Lex' came the reply.

'Could've fooled me. So what are we going to do?'

'If I head back to the generator room, I _might_ be able to find a way to turn on the sprinklers manually.'

'But what about Jack?' Lex asked again.

'We leave Jack where he is. I need the programme to be distracted if this is going to work.'

'No way!' Lex argued, extricating himself from Amber, who had stopped crying and was now listening intently to what Ram was saying. He stood opposite the Techno with one hand on his hip and the other making a jabbing motion with his finger in Ram's direction to emphasise the rest of his words. 'There is no way we're leaving him in there like THAT,' his finger jabbed further right this time, in the direction of the door, before returning to Ram again, 'while you waltz off to the other end of the hotel, trying out some half-baked scheme that might not even work!'

'Oh, and Jack's idea was foolproof?' Lex lunged at Ram, but Slade had anticipated this moment and swiftly moved in between the two, flinging his arms out so that they both got a chestful of fingers. Lex grunted and Ram rubbed his chest where it hurt, shooting an accusatory look at Slade. 'Come on Slade, surely you can see that Jack's as good as dead anyway?' He staggered back into the door as he received the full-armed slap of Amber, who had risen unnoticed during the argument.

'Nice shot, babe.' Lex said, looking at Amber admiringly.

'Oh, grow up Lex, or you're next' Amber snapped in reply, soon wiping the smile off Lex's face. 'I've had enough of this, Ram!' she said, before turning to Slade, who had not yet answered Ram's question. 'Well?' she asked angrily. 'Do you agree with him? Do you think we should just leave him in there?'

'I think we all need to calm down. Fighting with each other won't get us anywhere. Of course I don't think we should give up on Jack' he added, noticing Amber's open hand.

'I'm surrounded by…' Ram broke off as Amber's arm twitched. 'Can't you see this could be our only chance?' he cried.

'We're not leaving him!' Lex stated firmly.

'Then you're all fools!'

'Look Ram' said Slade. 'I know how much beating this thing means to you, but from what I've seen of it so far, I don't think Jack would be enough of a distraction for you to do anything anyway. That laser didn't stop when you and Josh were in there did it?' Lex looked at Ram triumphantly. Ram just scowled at everybody.

'Now can you three wait here a bit without killing each other? I've got a plan to get Jack out of there. Amazing what you can do when you give your mouth a rest and let your brain get some of the oxygen.' And with that, he walked off.

'Hey! Where are you going?' Lex called, but got no reply. He stood there in silence with Ram and Amber, all three united in that they resented Slade's last comment, but none of them willing to admit to any sort of common ground at that time. By the time Slade returned, wielding a metal stand that had once held an ashtray, the animosity in the room had mellowed, although there was still silence. The silence was broken when Slade hefted the stand like a javelin and rammed it as hard as he could into the glass panel in the door of the control room. This sent shards of broken glass flying out and Ram, who had been standing next to the door, fleeing to the other side of the corridor.

'I don't think this is a very good idea.' Ram said as Slade shoved his arm through the newly-formed hole and attempted to reach the handle on the other side of the door.

'We all know what you think about rescuing Jack, Ram. There's no need to tell us again' said Lex.

'No, I mean…'

'ARGH!' Slade cried, jerking his arm out of the door and cutting his hand on the remnants of the window as he did so. 'Stupid thing shocked me' he said, shaking his arm out and flexing his fingers.

'Here, let me have a look at that.' Amber said to him, taking his hand and trying to extract the fragments of glass while dabbing away as much of the blood as she could with her handkerchief. 'Don't worry' she said, smiling. 'It's clean.' She shook her head at his winces. 'And don't be such a baby! There, that's the best I can do for now. A dressing would help but I don't have anything on me, sorry.'

'That's fine, thanks for this.'

'No problem. So what just happened there?' Slipping back into her mother hen role had given Amber back some of the strength she had lost during the day.

'The lock is computerised, controlled by a keypad and swipe card system' Ram explained. 'So the programme has access to it.'

'Which is why the door locked behind me and how Slade got the electric shock.' finished Amber.

'That's correct. By the way, you never told us what made you leave the room.'

'Monitors again' was all Amber would say, while looking at the floor.

'Don't you have a swipe card?' Lex asked Ram.

'Yes, but the computer's hardly going to let me in now, is it?'

'It's worth a try' said Slade. Ram shrugged, dug out his card and slid it into the reader, punching in a code at the same time. Nothing happened.

'I still say we try and get to the generator again' he said.

'And you're still outvoted' said Amber.

'Then the only thing left is to break down the door' said Lex, a touch of pleasure in his voice. Just then, there was a loud hissing noise and the four people standing in the corridor suddenly found themselves getting very wet. A look of recognition dawned on all of their faces, and it was as if a red alert had gone off in their heads. Jack had done it, the sprinklers were on. It was time for action.

'Slade, go to the lab and make sure that equipment isn't working.' Slade nodded and left at Amber's command. 'Ram, I thought he was only turning on the one in the lab?'

'It's probably all he can do to get them on at all,' Ram replied, sounding impressed. 'It would take more concentration to specify which room to activate the sprinklers in, which would leave him open to attack from the programme. I doubt he'll have much time though, so we need to be ready to get him out of there once Slade brings us the all clear.'

'So you want to rescue him now, do you?' snorted Lex, gaining him a reproachful look from Amber.

'Now that we're safe…hopefully, anyway…then yes.' Ram said, in a tone that seemed to dare Lex to threaten him. As if to prove his point, he was the first to throw himself at the locked door between the three of them and Jack, with Lex close behind.

* * *

As Lex moved out of the way, Ram threw himself at the door once more, grunting as he hit it. Maybe he hadn't shown enough faith in Jack at the beginning, but perhaps there was still a chance for him to redeem himself, by helping to rescue him. If he was going to find a home with the Mallrats he didn't want to start with them all hating him; plus, it would be a shame if Jack died in there, he didn't see any of the other Mallrats being great company for him. They were going to have to work fast, though. If the sprinklers caused the headset to short-circuit while Jack was wearing it…well, it wouldn't be good that was for sure. They had been designed to repel a little water but soon it was going to be drenched. Hearing Jack's groans from inside the room, he moved aside to let Lex have another go at trying to get through. Amber was alternately watching them and keeping a lookout for Slade. Lex fell upon the door with a thud and a creak of wood, before moving out of the way for Ram. Putting himself into position, he paused when the sprinklers in the corridor, and more than likely everywhere else as well, suddenly spluttered and died.

'What's happening Ram? Has he done it do you think?' asked Amber, wringing out the hem of her coat.

'It's more likely that he's lost control of the sprinkler system. He might be able to get it back but he won't be getting any stronger. It's only a matter of time before the programme gets the better of him. He's only human, after all.'

'Very optimistic, Ram.'

'You did ask.' He charged at the door again, banging his elbow in the process but otherwise having little effect. He and Lex continued to throw themselves at the door unsuccessfully, with the sprinklers occasionally coming back on for a few seconds, until finally a loud snap was heard. Lex, who had produced the breakthrough, stepped back for one final effort. Putting all of his weight behind him, he launched himself at the door, which came right off its hinges and fell flat on the floor inside the control room, taking Lex with it.

'Slade's back!' cried Amber, pointing. Looking down the corridor, Ram saw that Slade was indeed on his way back, with his thumbs up, giving them the all clear. He noticed that Slade's right hand was now bandaged; he had probably picked up something from the storeroom next to the lab. Seeing the signal that Jack had accomplished his task, Ram instinctively ran into the control room, past Lex who was just attempting to get back up. Some of the monitors were already flickering dangerously; he had to get Jack out of there now. Running towards the central table, in front of which Jack was sitting, he reached out and yanked off the headset the Mallrat was wearing. He had done it! He had proven himself.

Suddenly he felt a tingle in his fingers as he held the headset. Knowing what was about to come he simultaneously tried to let go and shout for help, but his mind was working much faster than his body and his reactions were not quick enough. A massive surge of electricity flowed through the headset and into him, causing him to drop it and at the same time emit a sort of gasping noise. The pain of the electric shock caused him to stumble backwards clumsily and he lost his footing on the now wet floor. As he fell, the back of his head collided so hard with the corner of a table that it rebounded with a loud crack. He finally came to rest with his back against the table leg, his own legs sprawled out in front of him and his head on his chest. Darkness enveloped him.

* * *

In the middle of standing up, Lex had missed the whole incident, but Amber had seen everything. It must have taken only a few moments, as Slade was still only halfway down the corridor. She rushed into the room, heading straight for Ram. At the same time, Lex finished staggering to his feet and went to check on Jack. She noticed a smear of blood on the corner of the table and noted that he must have hit his head with quite a force. Kneeling down beside him on the wet floor she saw more clearly the wound on the back of his head. Blood was matting his dark hair and dripping onto his black uniform. Carefully, she lifted his head up to try and rouse him, and gasped in shock at the wide, lifeless eyes that stared back at her.

'He's…he's dead, Lex!'

The little strength she had managed to gather out in the corridor suddenly shattered like glass and she found herself desperately trying to fight back the unbidden tears.

'Amber! AMBER!' Lex called to her, trying to support Jack's limp form on his shoulder. 'There's nothing you can do. Come and give me a hand with Jack.'

'What happened?' Slade asked as he came into the room. 'I heard something.' Amber watched him through her own shining eyes surveying the room before he rushed to help Lex with Jack. 'Amber…we have to leave him for now. We need to come back later anyway, to get rid of the stuff in the lab. And for Josh.' he said.

With a sigh, Amber ran her hand over Ram's eyes, closing them, and stood up. She let Slade and Lex through the empty doorway first, each with one of Jack's arms around their shoulders, before following them out, taking a last look back at the chaotic scene that was the control room.

It was soon after that the four figures made their way tentatively out of the old hotel, blinking as their eyes adjusted to the bright light of day they never thought they would see again, and that not all of them had. Even after all they had been through with Ram, Amber hated leaving him in there after what he had done for them in the end. She knew it wasn't over though, as she walked down the steps into the street; Slade had been right. They would have to come back to dispose of the virus, only then would the city be safe. The end was in sight at least, at the city might finally have some peace.

* * *

Jay was within sight of the hotel when he finally saw them approaching. Slade and Lex were supporting someone, probably Jack judging by the jacket, between them. He wondered how he had been injured, and pretty badly by the look of things, inside the hotel. Had they been attacked? Amber was walking alongside them looking very upset, and he couldn't see Ram or Mega anywhere. Slowing to a walk he waved at his friends and called out to Amber. Her head shot up to look in his direction and he was sure he had seen a look of pure terror on her face before it softened and she ran to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest. Instinctively he spread his own arms protectively around her.

'It's alright' he told her. 'You did your best. Let's just get out of here as quickly as possible, ok? The others are on a boat but it won't wait forever.'

'No Jay, we're safe. The city's safe. I'm just…being silly, that's all.'

'Did something happen in there?' he asked her. 'Where are Ram and Mega?'

'They didn't make it' Slade said, looking at the floor. 'But the rest of us are going to be fine.' Jay caught Lex giving Slade a look that suggested that his statement was perhaps a tad optimistic.

'But…'

'Jay, there'll be time to explain everything when we're back at the mall. First you need to go and make sure that boat doesn't leave. We'll take Jack home.'

Amber immediately pulled away from him. 'Slade's right. There's no time. We'll meet you all back at the mall, ok?'

He nodded. 'Be careful.'

'You too. Oh, and if you see anybody, spread the word. The city's safe.'

They moved apart until only their fingers were touching, then Jay turned and headed back the way he had come as fast as he could. He had so many questions buzzing in his head. What had happened to Mega, Ram and Jack? Why had Amber looked so afraid when she first saw him? He would have to wait a little longer for the answers, but at least she was safe. He only hoped that, tired as he was, he could get to the quayside in time to stop the others from leaving.


	6. Meanwhile

A refreshingly cool but gentle breeze was blowing in from the sea, bringing with it the salty tang of the open water. Seagulls screeched at each other overhead as they soared on its currents, hoping to scavenge their lunch from the fruits of the fishermen's nets as they were hauled up a little further offshore. One bird came to settle on the prow of one of the boats still moored on the quayside. It perched there, cleaning itself, only for a short while before it was disturbed by a flailing arm and sent squawking back into the air to join the rest of its kind.

'Get outta here!' grunted the owner of the arm, a tall broad-shouldered man with a permanently sour look. 'Big dumb bird!' He shook his head and took a generous swig from a fancily-engraved silver-plated hip flask that he always carried with him. He had had to haggle hard for that pretty little piece, and it had still cost him an arm and a leg, but it was worth it to steady his legs and calm his nerves when he was at sea. He hated being on the boat. He had never been comfortable too far away from dry land, but trading between the coastal tribes was becoming an increasingly profitable business venture, and too good an opportunity to pass up for the sake of comfort. He had inherited the boat and the trade routes he used from a former partner, who had taken the insane decision one day to retire to a farm outside the city, and he had claimed that nobody else traded with the coastal tribes. Some of the stock he was bringing back couldn't be found anywhere else, and since he was the only market for the goods he could charge whatever he liked. Throw in a couple of stories about the perils of the sea and how rare this stuff was and people would pay anything! Never mind comfort. Soon he would be able to buy all the comfort he wanted! Smiling, he took another swig from the flask, tucked it behind his belt and started to plan his next trip along the coast in his head.

Banging on the planks of the wooden jetty announced the arrival of his employee, Arto, so he headed to the gangplank to meet him. Shorter than him, but still fairly tall, and with dark, curly hair, Arto was built like a rhino. He had substantial layers of both fat and muscle and virtually no neck, so his already small head looked even more out of proportion with the rest of his body. He had not been employed for his brains, which was just as well, as he seemed to have very little to offer in that department, but he was good at scaring away unwanted visitors and protecting the stock.

'What do you want, Arto? I'm busy.'

'That chick's here again. Wants to see you. Says it's urgent.' Arto was a master at saying as little as he could get away with. Fishing for details from Arto was like trying to get blood out of a stone, and often as successful. It came in useful sometimes, for instance when rival traders tried to interrogate or bribe him, but now was not one of those times. At least it was clear who he was talking about this time. May was the only 'chick' who came to visit him on anything like a regular basis, but why was she here now?

'What's it about?'

'Didn't say. Looked worried though.'

The pregnancy test. It had to be that. She said it wasn't his, but how could she be so sure? For a moment he considered telling Arto just to get rid of her, but he didn't think May was the kind of girl to let something like that go so easily. He would have to tell her face to face that he wasn't going to have anything to do with either of them, and that if she wanted to continue their little arrangement then she was just going to have to get rid of the thing, end of story. And the day had looked so promising too. He tried not to think about how much money he would be losing while he was talking to May.

'What do you want me to tell her?'

Sighing, he decided that he couldn't put this off any longer. He had to tell her. 'Alright then, Arto, let her through. And you take the rest of the day off.' This was not something he wanted Arto to know about. Just because he hadn't squealed to the other traders so far, it didn't mean that he wouldn't next time.

'Yes sir' Arto replied, barely bowing his head in acknowledgement of the other man's superiority. Looking pleased with himself he walked back along the jetty, the creaking of the wooden boards under his considerable weight fading as he got further away. The trader took another swig from his hip flask and wondered whether maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to retire to the country after all.

* * *

May stood outside what had once been a rough, fisherman's hut, at the landward end of the jetty. Still rough, it was now the home and office of one of her many 'acquaintances' around the city. She was here today because he was the only person she knew who had what she needed - a boat. It was the only way the Mallrats were going to be saved from the new virus; it would be too late now to find another way out of the city. She hoped after all this that they would be allowed to use the boat, otherwise she would be leading the Mallrats to their deaths. She turned her head to see the crowd behind her. Trudy was trying to explain to Brady why they couldn't go back to the mall to fetch something, and Salene was talking to Ellie, who was trying to comfort a crying baby Bray. He was probably missing his mother. Ruby, still sore from her run-in with the truck a little earlier, was being supported by Darryl, who didn't notice the looks she was giving Ebony, shooting daggers from her eyes. Something was definitely going on there, but May didn't know what it was, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. Ebony herself was also oblivious to the whole thing, which didn't seem to be helping Ruby's mood. She was just sitting there on a barrel, swinging her legs and looking bored. Sammy stood on another barrel, looking back towards the city, waiting for the arrival, hopefully any minute now, of the rest of the tribe. Her tribe. They had taken her back after she had spied on them for Mega. She had lied to them all, especially to Salene, out of her own selfishness and jealousy; yet they still considered her as much a part of the tribe as anybody else, and as a friend, Salene most of all. She knew she didn't deserve it, and she was determined to make it up to them, if only they got out of this alive.

The sea breeze blew strands of her hair across her face, and she turned back to look towards where the boat would have been, if it wasn't blocked from her view by a number of buildings similar to the one she and her friends stood outside. She unfolded her arms to brush her hair back behind her ear but continued to tap her foot impatiently on the ground. That Harpo or whatever his name was had taken his time going to ask his boss if they could be let through. May had thought he was just going to send them away at first, despite the fact that he clearly recognised her from the many times she had been here before, but he finally agreed to ask. He was probably just being difficult. He seemed to enjoy being like that. She hoped he wasn't trying to convince his boss that she didn't want anything important. Would he go that far just to be difficult? A hand on her shoulder made her look up. Salene's smiling face was a little comforting, but not much. She smiled back weakly, hoping Salene wouldn't see through her.

'Don't worry, May. Once he finds out what's going on he's bound to let us use the boat. I mean, he can't just abandon us all, especially the little ones, however unsavoury a character he is.'

'You read my mind.' May replied. 'You're probably right, Salene. I just can't help wondering what he'll want as payment for escorting the whole of the 'mighty Mallrat tribe' out of danger.'

'Well, we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.' Salene said confidently. 'The most important thing right now is just to get out of the city as fast as possible.' She cast a sad glance at the city that had been their home for as long as they could remember, stopping to look in the direction of the hotel. 'I hope they make it' she said quietly, looking at May, needing reassurance herself this time.

'If I know Lex', said May, 'he'll want to save his own neck. He'll have them all out in time.'

Salene laughed, seeming happy with the answer. 'That sounds like Lex alright!'

'I just hope they don't try anything stupid' May thought to herself.

'Mr. Sociable's back' Ebony called, sarcastically, from behind. May looked along the jetty and, sure enough, that Arlo guy was casually strolling back towards the hut, clad all in black apart from a ridiculous silver triangle on his shirt, tapering from his belt to a point at the collar, and red bands across his shoulders, copied in the tribal markings on his cheeks. He had a smug look on his face. May's heart sank with every step he made. By the time he reached them she had butterflies in her stomach. She was glad Salene was standing next to her for moral support.

'You can go through' was all he said, as he walked past the group of Mallrats and went into the hut, leaving the waiting tribe members feeling stunned and a little cheated, having expected more. Ebony looked like she was spoiling for a fight, which she might have got if she had been looking at Ruby, while Darryl just looked confused. Noticing for the first time the looks Ruby was giving to Ebony, his confusion was replaced by unease. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but holding onto Ruby's arm. Coming straight out of the hut again, a rucksack on his back, the burly man looked a little surprised to see everybody still standing there.

'Is that it?' May asked. The guy just shrugged, seemingly confused as to how there could possibly be any more to say. 'Oh, never mind!' May said, shaking her head. She watched as Wino turned and headed away from the quayside.

'Where's he going?' asked Sammy.

'Who knows?' May said. 'Come on then, before he changes his mind.' She didn't wait to see if her friends were following her before stepping onto the wooden boards that would hopefully lead to their escape.


	7. An Adventure For Gel

Gel wandered aimlessly through the industrial sector of the city, where all the warehouses and factories were located. She had made it this far alright, but now she was hopelessly lost. She knew the quayside couldn't be much further away, she just didn't know exactly which direction it was in. It didn't help that all the buildings around here looked the same either. If she had her way, they would all have been colour-coded according to what was inside them, then people would know where they were going. It was only common sense. She was sure she had passed this way before. There was nobody around to ask for directions either, the streets had been deserted for a while now. Most people were probably heading for the hills, in the other direction. She decided to stop and take a look around, hoping she would remember the way. Now that she was no longer wheeling her noisy suitcase along behind her, she could hear the sounds of the sea birds in the distance. They sounded like they were laughing at her. Spotting an empty storage crate up ahead, she decided that she would take a rest and see if she could remember which way to go. Approaching the crate, she took out a plain pink handkerchief from her jacket pocket and spread it out carefully over the wooden surface so that when she sat down she wouldn't dirty her skirt. Producing a small make-up kit and compact mirror from another pocket she started checking how her face had fared on the journey so far. She let out a small shriek when she saw herself, mascara trailing down her cheeks from when she had been crying.

'Ugh, no wonder there's nobody around anymore' she muttered to herself angrily. 'They probably took one look at me and ran off. There, that's better.' She finished fixing herself up and was about to put her things away when she saw something moving behind her reflection in the mirror. Two men were making their way towards her. 'Ooh, it's working already!' she thought happily, as she slipped down from the crate, pocketed the handkerchief and smoothed her skirt, before standing on tiptoes to wave to the men.

'Yoo-hoo boys!' she called out, her hand high in the air. 'Care to rescue a damsel in distress?' The pair looked at each other and grinned. One of them was short and bald, but looked very strong. Both of his ears were pierced, as was his nose, which looked as though it had been broken on a number of occasions. He wore a dirty worker's vest in bands of red and green, and beige cargo pants rolled halfway up to his knees above bare feet. His companion was slightly taller and a lot weedier, with almost shoulder-length hair that was dark and greasy. He wore the same as the bald man, as well as a truly awful yellow and blue flowery shirt that should never have been allowed to be made. She didn't think that either of the men was particularly attractive, but there was nobody else around and she was desperate to find the rest of the Mallrats, so she smiled sweetly at them and began to twirl her hair around her fingers.

'I'm a teensy bit lost,' she told the men as they drew nearer. 'Could you point me in the direction of the quayside?'

'Where's the rest of your tribe?' asked the greasy-haired guy. 'How come you're down here on your own?'

'They all left without me,' she pouted. 'I ran into one of them earlier on and he told me where everyone was going, but he wanted to go to the hotel to rescue his girlfriend. Bit of a lost cause if you ask me, but still, it's kind of romantic, don't you think? Anyway, I must have taken a wrong turning somewhere, because, well, this isn't the quayside is it? I mean, duh, there's no boats or anything. It smells a bit fishy here though, so it can't be too far away. I just hope the smell doesn't get into my clothes.' She trailed off, thinking of ways to get the smell out. The two men must have been thinking the same thing, she thought, because their eyes were slightly glazed over, as if their minds were on something else. 'It's alright' she told them. 'I don't expect you to worry about that.' Poor guys. They obviously had no fashion sense, and the blank looks they gave her only confirmed their ignorance to her. 'Anyway, the quayside. Do you know the way?'

'We can take you there.' said the taller man. The shorter, bald-headed man just grinned at her, showing crooked teeth that made her wince.

'An escort as well? Aren't I the lucky girl!' The pair looked at each other and laughed. Holding her head high, she grabbed hold of her suitcase and pulled it along, the two men separating so that she was walking between them. They seemed to be making a beeline for one of the warehouses.

'Are you sure this is the right way?' she asked.

'There's something we want to show you first,' said the guy with the flowery shirt. They came to a halt outside a warehouse, where the strong-looking guy proceeded to unlock a heavy looking padlock.

'Oh, well that's very nice of you, but I really don't have much time. There's this virus, you see, and…'

'You'll find lots of pretty clothes in here,' the bald guy said, pushing open the door.

'That's really very tempting but I need to get to the quayside.' Judging by what the two were wearing, she didn't think anything they considered 'pretty' would interest her in the slightest, and keeping them in a smelly warehouse surely wouldn't do the clothes any good either.

'Well, this is a short cut,' said the first guy, shooting his burly friend an angry look. 'The quayside is just out through the back there.' He pointed into the dark warehouse.

This was too much of a coincidence, even for Gel. Suddenly wary, she tried to think of an excuse to leave. 'You know, I'm really claustrophobic. Why don't you guys go on ahead and I'll take the scenic route. I think I remember the way now. Yes, it's all coming back to me now.'

'Nice try, girly.' the dark-haired man nodded to his companion and she was pushed squealing into the darkness. The pair followed her in, locking the door behind them and turning on a row of strip lights that illuminated the central of three aisles of shelving units towards the back of the warehouse. Gel stood behind her suitcase, her hands gripped protectively onto the handle. As her captors began to walk towards her, she started taking steps backwards, further into the warehouse, becoming trapped between two sets of shelves.

'What do you want from me?' she cried. 'I don't have anything valuable.'

'You think so, eh?' the taller one smirked. 'Well, it's you we're after. Someone'll fork out a tidy sum for a pretty slave girl like you.' They both suddenly started laughing like cartoon villains.

Gel snorted. 'Listen, Dumb and Dumber, the slave trade is, like, so over. Just get out of here before the new virus gets you.'

'We ain't heard nothing about no new virus.' said the muscly guy.

'Yeah, you're just bluffing, and it's not going to work,' said the other.

Gel found herself standing with her back against the wall. There was nowhere left to go.

'We've wasted enough time already. Go get her, Butch.' the thinner of the two clicked his fingers and the bald guy, apparently named Butch for obvious reasons, cracked his knuckles and came towards her. Before she knew it, he had taken hold of her, wrapping his large arms around her chest from behind. This made it difficult, but not impossible, for her to breathe, while her pitiful efforts to struggle free only seemed to amuse him. Anger welled up inside of her and she stamped down hard on Butch's bare foot. This loosened his hold on her just long enough for her to grab one of his arms and sink her teeth into it. He gave a yelp of pain and staggered back into the shelving unit, knocking down a few dusty boxes, while Gel started to make a run for it. Before she could get anywhere, though, the second man tried to grab her. She balled up her fist and tried to punch him in the face, missing but managing to poke him in the eye with her thumb instead. He let out a yell that turned into a scream as she ran over his feet with her suitcase on her way past.

'Butch! She's getting away!'

Gel raced towards the large double doors at the front of the building, through which she had been forced through only a short while before, but the door had been locked. Pulling feebly at the padlock did nothing. Terrified, she looked around and spotted a smaller door at the back of the building. In a desperate attempt to escape, she abandoned her precious suitcase and ran as fast as she could towards the exit, but it was no good; Butch cut her off halfway there and forced her, face down, onto the ground, pinning her arms behind her back and sitting on her legs to stop her escaping, no matter how hard she tried to wriggle free.

'Good work Butch,' said the other man. 'So the girl has spirit. That's good.' he crouched down beside Gel and jerked her head around painfully, so she had no choice but to look at him. His left eye was bloodshot from where she had poked him. 'It'll be more fun to break her.' She tried to struggle free again but the pair only laughed at her vain attempts.

'Is there a problem here, gentlemen?'

At the sound of the male voice, Gel felt the two men tense up, but she herself felt a tiny spark of hope. Suddenly she found herself being pulled to her feet by Butch, who retained a firm grip on her neck. 'One wrong word and I'll snap it,' he growled quietly. 'You understand?' She nodded as much as Butch's hand would allow. She could now see the source of the mystery voice, an extremely good-looking young man a few years older than herself; in his late teens she thought, but she couldn't be sure. He was clean-shaven with clear, blue eyes and spiky blond hair. He wore a tight fitting, sleeveless blue top that showed off his muscles, a pair of red-brown leather trousers and black army-style boots. Around his left eye was painted a stylised sunburst, in black, running from his temple to his cheekbone. She drank him in from head to toe, heart fluttering, almost forgetting where she was until Butch's friend spoke up, snapping her out of her own thoughts like a popped bubble.

'There's no problem here, isn't that right Suzy?' He gave her a menacing look, and Butch's grip on her neck tightened momentarily. Realising they meant her, she gave the barest of nods, the best she could manage, but her eyes pleaded with the newcomer, desperate to be rescued.

Butch squeezed her neck again, apparently wanting more. She resisted the urge to kick him in the shin; she wasn't in a position to risk angering him. Instead she smiled weakly and said 'there's no problem,' hoping the handsome guy was smart enough to detect the lie.

'See? Nothing to worry about. Now if you'll just…'

'Come off it, guys. That girl clearly isn't here because she wants to be. Just let her go.'

'Listen, pretty boy. This is none of your business. How did you get in here anyway? This is private property, and you're trespassing! Now get out of here, or else…'

'Or else what? You'll call the police?' Gel suppressed a snigger.

'Butch! Teach this guy a lesson!'

Butch roughly pushed Gel out of the way and she fell to the ground. 'With pleasure,' he snarled, pummelling his fist into his hand as he walked towards the intruder. Gel crawled over to hide behind one of the shelving units. She pushed aside some of the junk, clearing a space so that she could watch what was happening between two of the metal shelves. She knew she should be using the opportunity to escape out of the back door, but she was transfixed. Fortunately for her, so was Butch's friend. The two men were now circling each other, waiting for the right time to strike. Butch took the initiative, charging at his opponent with a roar. The other guy had plenty of time to react, though, and easily jumped out of the way, throwing a punch as the larger man turned round. Butch caught the fist in one hand and with his free hand grabbed the other man by the neck and slammed him against the wall. Gel rubbed her own neck unconsciously, then raised both hands to her mouth in terror as Butch's fist sailed towards the other man's head. Somehow, though, the guy managed to duck and throw his own punch. Butch, still following through from his own attack, had no time to do anything and was hit squarely between the eyes. He stumbled backwards and fell to the ground with a crash, lying there motionless.

Gel looked round at Butch's companion. He stood staring at his fallen comrade, eyes wide with shock. The blond-haired guy started walking towards him and he immediately ran for the back door, not looking back once on his way out. When he had gone she breathed a huge sigh of relief.

'Are you alright?' her rescuer asked, coming over to her and helping her up.

'I am now' she giggled, letting him pull her to her feet, her heart skipping a beat as she stared into his eyes. For a moment they both stood there looking at each other, with him still holding onto her arms, then he must have realised what he was doing because he let her go. Both of them looked away awkwardly and Gel felt a small pang of disappointment now that he was no longer touching her. After a few moments she cleared her throat to speak. 'Um, thanks for rescuing me. You were very brave.'

'I was in the back of the warehouse when you all came in,' he replied. 'I couldn't just leave you, I'm just sorry I didn't do anything sooner.'

'What were you doing in a place like this?' she asked, curious. 'It's all dark and smelly.'

'I was supposed to be meeting somebody,' he said, sadly. 'They didn't show.'

'Oh. Girlfriend?' she said, and immediately regretted it. 'I'm sorry! I wasn't…I mean…'

'It's ok,' he said. 'And no, it wasn't a girlfriend. I don't have one.' For a moment he looked sad again, but she thought she might have imagined it.

'Are you hurt at all?' she asked, trying to change the subject.

'I'm just a little sore,' he said. 'You should have seen the other guy!' They both laughed, then Gel caught a sight of the motionless Butch again and fell silent.

'Is he…'

'No, he's not dead, just out cold.'

'You're very brave.' she said.

'I think you mentioned that already!'

She blushed and tried to change the subject again. 'Hey, do you know the way to the quayside from here?'

'Erm, yeah,' he said, looking slightly taken aback. 'You need to take a right once you head out of that door, then the fastest way is to cut between…' he carried on but she wasn't listening. She just stood there watching his mouth move. He had such a beautiful mouth.

'Did you get all that?'

'Huh?'

'The directions?'

'Oh. Yeah, I take a left, then… I have no idea,' she admitted.

'Hmm, maybe it would be easier if I wrote them down,' he said, his lips twitching towards a smile. He hunted around in the boxes of junk on the shelves and pulled out a wooden board. 'Do you have a pencil or something?'

'I have lipstick,' she said, pulling out her make-up kit. 'Will that do?'

'I suppose so.' He took the lipstick she offered him and started to write on the board with it.

'Careful with it, that's my favourite shade of red!' He smiled and handed over the board and the lipstick. Her stomach churned and she tried to hide her blushes behind the board.

'Well, I guess this is goodbye then.'

'Aren't you coming with me?' she cried. 'Way to go, Gel. That didn't sound desperate at all,' she thought to herself. 'Besides, he wouldn't have written down the directions if her was coming, would he?' She tried a different approach. 'It's just that, there's a new virus, and it'll be quicker to leave by boat with us,' she told him.

'I know. I've heard the broadcasts.' Again, that sad look. 'That's why I have to take our friend here to safety. I can't just leave him here to die, not when I knocked him out in the first place.'

'That's very…' she had been about to say brave again. 'You know.' He just shrugged.

'You could always…come with me. I mean, if you wanted to.' She was very tempted to take him up on the offer. At the very least the boat trip would surely be no good for her skin, what with all the salt and everything. And he _was_ very good looking. She couldn't just leave the Mallrats, though. What if they waited for her and caught the virus? She wouldn't wish that on anyone, even Lex. There was no time to go and tell them she was leaving either, and what if, after all this, the guy standing in front of her was as bad as those other two? She couldn't believe that that was true, but she had to convince herself to go to the quayside somehow.

'I can't,' she said sadly. Her rescuer nodded.

'It's probably for the best,' he said.

'Bye then,' she told him.

'Bye.'

They both stood there. Gel wondered what he was waiting for, then realised. 'Oh, right. Yeah,' she babbled, remembering that she was supposed to be leaving. 'Thanks again,' she said, holding up the board. 'For everything.' Without waiting for a reply, she walked quickly out through the back door, flustered. Looking at the board, she began to follow the directions written on it. She knew she would have to hurry if she wanted to make it to the boat in time.

It was only after she had lost sight of the warehouse that she realised, with regret, that she hadn't even asked her rescuer for his name.


	8. Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat

The inside of the boat was small: a row of benching at each end, with space below to store the few belongings they had been able to bring with them, and portholes above that were too dirty to see through. Two closed doors at opposite ends of the cabin, one leading out onto the deck, the other to the even smaller front compartment, where all the controls were, only made the space feel more enclosed. Despite all this, conditions in the cabin were not as cramped as Ebony had expected them to be when she had first seen it. Of course, that was partly due to the fact that only around half the tribe were on the boat - she counted herself as part of the tribe, at least for the time being - and partly because not everyone who was on the boat was in the cabin. Trudy and Salene were outside waiting for anyone else to show up, although that was looking increasingly unlikely as time went on, and May was out front with the boat's owner. From what Ebony had figured out, this was the same guy that May had come to for Ruby's pregnancy testing kit, and he thought at first that she had come back to tell him she was pregnant. Once he realised that that wasn't the case, though, he had been only to happy to let them use the boat, even before May had explained about the virus. Once his initial relief wore off, he probably wouldn't be too happy about it, but by then they would hopefully have set off, and it would be too late for him to change his mind.

That left six people in the cabin, besides Ebony, and two of those were Brady and Bray, who didn't take up much room but made up for it with their sheer annoyance. The fact that they were directly opposite her as she sat there, arms folded and one leg over the other, didn't help matters. Bray wouldn't stop crying and Brady had the nerve to stand there pulling faces at her. 'Can't you do anything about those two?' she asked Ellie, who was sitting with Bray held in one arm and holding onto Brady with the other.

'Can't you see I've got my hands full here?' she snapped back. 'If you could watch Brady for a while I could try and get Bray back to sleep.' Ebony snorted in reply. 'Didn't think so.'

'Get one of the others to do it, I don't do babies.'

Ellie sighed. 'Look around you Ebony!' She did so. Darryl gave a pathetic little wave from the far end of the bench opposite her and she rolled her eyes. He had his arm around Ruby who had somehow, despite all the noise the baby was making, managed to fall asleep on his shoulder. Sammy was in no position to help out either. He sat on the same bench as Ebony, but further down, which was probably just as well. Despite not being at sea, Sammy's face looked decidedly pale, and his hands were clenched tightly to his stomach. She put her bag between the two of them in an effort to block him from her view, but she could still hear his quiet groans, even over Bray's crying. She didn't have the strongest of stomachs herself; she just hoped that Sammy wouldn't set her off, and that she could at least hold out until they started moving.

Darryl cleared his throat to speak, and she looked over to him. 'I'd offer to help with the kids but, erm…' he pointed at Ruby with his free hand.

'Don't worry about it Darryl,' said Ellie, desperately trying to hold onto Brady, who was attempting to struggle out of her hold, and at the same time rocking Bray in her other arm. 'There's no need to wake her, she's been through enough today.'

'Oh come on! The truck didn't even hit her that hard!' Ebony cried out. Ellie screwed up her face in disgust.

'You should know better than that Ebony!'

'And what's that supposed to mean?' Darryl looked like he wanted to slip away quietly, but he was unable to do so without waking Ruby so he just stared intently at the floor instead, refusing to get involved in the argument, while Sammy got up and made a hasty exit, whether to throw up or just to get away, Ebony didn't know.

'I just mean that you were with her when it happened, so you should have seen everything.'

'Well if I had, don't you think I would have warned her?' She noticed that Ruby was stirring and took the opportunity to change the subject. 'Now look what you've done.'

'Hey guys,' Ruby said sleepily. 'What's all the racket? Oh, hi Darryl.' She hastily took her hand away from his chest, at the same time that he removed his arm from around her shoulder. Both of them sat with their hands in their laps, not looking at each other, with colour blooming in their cheeks. Ellie chuckled quietly.

'I didn't…You fell asleep.' Darryl told Ruby, stumbling over his words. Ruby laughed then clutched her stomach. 'Are you alright?' he asked her.

'Yeah, don't worry about me. I guess getting run over by a truck wasn't just a bad dream after all.' She looked over to where Ebony was sitting. Ebony refused to flinch or look away, but matched her gaze, trying to look innocent. She was interrupted with a start, however, as at that moment the door to the boat's controls swung open violently and May stormed out, with her trader friend hot on her heels. Ebony couldn't resist the small smile that appeared on her face. Finally some entertainment on this miserable boat! She loved a good argument, and this one looked like it might be interesting.

* * *

Ellie jumped in surprise when the door sprang open and Bray, who had been showing signs of calming down, started crying again. She gave an exasperated sigh and began to rock him once more. Normally she would have been able to handle both of the kids easily, but today, as much as she felt guilty for it, her heart just didn't seem to be in it. She couldn't stop thinking about Jack. Why wasn't he here yet? What if Jay hadn't found them and they had fled somewhere else? She might never see him again.

She watched May walk into the cabin, closely followed by the owner of the boat; she hadn't caught his name. They both looked in a mood to tear strips off each other. When she was halfway across the floor, May suddenly rounded on him, causing him to take a step backwards to stop himself from walking into her.

'Look, I've already told you. We're not leaving until we're all here.'

'And I've told you, I'm supposed to be meeting tribe leaders further down the coast. My schedule…'

'I don't care about your schedule! It doesn't really figure very highly in the grand scheme of things right now, does it?'

'It does to me! That's my livelihood you'll be ruining! If I lose those contacts I'll go out of business.'

'Are you blind? The city's a ghost town! Who are you going to sell to?' The trader scratched his head and Ellie supposed that he hadn't thought about that.

At that moment, Trudy and Salene rushed in from the deck, with Sammy following behind them, looking rather ill. Trudy went straight to Brady, and Ellie handed her over happily.

'Hey there sweetie, were you good for Aunt Ellie? Thanks for looking after her.'

'No problem.'

'Has anyone else arrived?' May asked the newcomers.

'No,' answered Salene. 'We just heard the shouting, that's all. What's going on?'

'This creep wants to leave!' Darryl said angrily, standing up and pointing at the trader.

'Hey! Who are you calling a creep?'

Ellie saw Ruby pulling on Darryl's arm, trying to get him to sit back down. 'What's got into you Darryl? Calm down!' she heard her tell him, but he didn't appear to be listening.

'Just let it go,' May was begging the trader.

'Stay out of this May! I won't take insults on my own boat!'

'Don't talk to her like that!' Darryl shouted at him.

'Very protective aren't you? I wonder why that is!' sneered the trader.

'Why you…'

'DARRYL!' May snapped. 'That's enough! You're really not helping! Just sit down, will you?' She waited for him to do as she said before turning back to the trader. 'Sorry about him. Everyone's a bit tense right now, that's all.' She got a grunt in reply. 'Look, I'm not trying to ruin your business,' she said in a softer tone, putting her hand on the man's shoulder. 'That's the last thing I want to happen. I'm sure the coastal tribes will understand, and it's not like they trade with anyone else, is it?'

'Maybe. Still, I'm not hanging around forever if this virus is as bad as you say it is.'

'Just a little more time, that's all were asking for. They shouldn't be too much longer now.'

'You'd better hope they're not. I won't wait long.'

'Thanks. We appreciate it, don't we everyone?' Everyone murmured their agreement, apart from Sammy, who looked unable to say anything, and Darryl, who sat sulking.'

'And there is, of course, the pressing matter of payment.'

'I've told you, we can sort that out once we're moving.'

'Good. We wouldn't want there to be any 'accidents' at sea, would we?'

'No, we wouldn't want that, would we Ebony?' said Ruby. Ellie's eyes widened in shock. Did Ebony push her? She looked for a reaction on Ebony's face but saw nothing.

'You'll get your payment,' May said. 'But…we don't have very much.'

'I wouldn't worry about that,' the trader said, raising a hand to her face. 'I'm sure we can work out a deal that leaves everyone…satisfied.'

'Darryl, no!' Ellie managed to scream as she saw the look on his face, but it was too late. Darryl had jumped out of his seat and now had the trader up against the side of the boat. The whole vessel rocked about dangerously, and she held little Bray close to protect him. Trudy was doing the same with Brady, and both of the children were now crying, while everyone else was shouting at the two men to stop. That is, everyone except for Sammy, who had gone out to be sick when the boat started rocking. The trader had been initially surprised by Darryl's attack, but he was more than a match for the Mallrat and quickly won the upper hand. He gave Darryl a shove, which sent him flying, landing in a heap in the middle of the cabin. After that, a swift kick in the ribs sent him crawling out onto the deck, but the guy still hadn't finished with him. Brushing off attempts to hold him back from Salene and May, he followed him out, slamming the door behind him. Everyone in the cabin looked at each other uneasily but nobody said a word. A few moments later he came back in, without Darryl, brandishing a knife.

'Enough is enough!' he shouted at them all. 'We're leaving now! Does anyone have a problem with that?' Again nobody said anything. 'Good,' he said. 'Now if you don't mind I've got some final preparations to make before we can set off.' He went back to the front of the boat, closing the door behind him.

'Good job Darryl,' May said to herself, folding her arms crossly.

'He sort of meant well,' said Ellie. May just rolled her eyes and went after the trader. At the same time, Sammy rushed in from the deck, wide-eyed and apparently shocked out of his sea-sickness.

'What happened out there Sammy?' Trudy asked.

Sammy looked around nervously, making sure the trader wasn't around, before answering. 'That guy hoisted Darryl half over the railings and told him never to lay a finger on him again, or else!'

'Or else what?' asked Ellie.

'He didn't say anything. He just got out this knife from his belt - you should have seen the look on Darryl's face! Anyway, he just let him go after that, and came back inside.'

'Poor Darryl!' exclaimed Salene. 'How is he?'

'He's really shaken up.'

'I'm going to check on him,' said Ellie. 'Sal, can you take Bray for a while?'

'Sure.' She handed over Amber's son to Salene and went out onto the deck, passing Ebony on the way. It looked as if Sammy's sea-sickness had passed to her. Serve her right, too. She had been enjoying watching the argument unfold, at least until the boat started rocking.

When she got outside she saw Darryl sitting against the railings with his head in his hands. She sat down beside him. 'Hey,' she said. 'How are you doing?' Darryl lifted his head up and looked at her, his face a little paler than usual.

'I just did something really dumb, didn't I?'

'You could say that.' She put a hand on his shoulder. 'Hey, it's ok. None of us are thinking straight right now.'

'He's not going to wait anymore is he?' She shook her head. 'Great. Thanks to me the others might not make it out alive.'

'Don't be so hard on yourself,' she told him. 'You only did what the rest of us were thinking, and you can't help how you feel about May.'

He flinched. 'I don't have feelings for May.' he said, obviously lying.

'Anyway,' she continued. 'For what it's worth, I reckon the fight actually bought us some time. It's not going to make him any more pleasant to travel with, though.' They sat for a while in silence before Darryl finally spoke up again.

'Thanks Ellie.' he said.

'What for?'

He shrugged. 'Just for being here, I guess.'

'Don't worry about it. You're a Mallrat now, and Mallrats stick together. Are you coming back inside?'

'No. I think I'll stay out here a little bit longer. You go in though. I'm alright.'

She patted his knee before getting up and smoothing her skirt. 'See you in a bit then.' she said, before leaving him alone with his thoughts, and the sound of the water lapping against the side of the boat. She wiped away a tear as she thought of Jack, hoping he was safe, wherever he was, and wondering if he was thinking of her too.


	9. Birds

With one hand clutching the directions to the quayside given to her by the handsome stranger, and the other pulling her luggage along, Gel walked purposefully through the alleyways and open concrete spaces of the industrial sector. She still didn't recognise where she was - she guessed that this was a shortcut rather than the conventional route she half remembered - but she no longer felt lost. She trusted the directions completely, trusted her rescuer completely. There was just something about those sad, blue eyes that made her brain turn to mush. She thought she would believe anything he told her, even if it was an outrageous lie. Not that he would ever lie to her of course. No, he was honest, courageous and - most importantly - single, if she remembered correctly. A huge smile appeared on her face with that thought, then disappeared just as quickly as something white flashed in front of her face. Instinctively she dropped the wooden board with the directions on it and tried to shield her face with her hands. After standing like that for a few seconds with nothing happening she cautiously peeked through her fingers. Seeing nothing, she bent down to pick up the board. 'Eww, gross!' she said, noticing something sticking to the bottom of it. She didn't want to inspect it too closely, but she thought it might have been rotting fish. Taking a stick, she wrinkled her nose and tried to knock off as much as she could, being careful not to smudge the lipstick writing. A screeching noise made her look up and she saw what had made her jump in the first place; a seagull looked down at her from one of the rooftops, its head tilted to one side. She must have disturbed its dinner, not noticing it on the ground in front of her because she had been daydreaming. 'Silly girl,' she muttered to herself. 'It's not like you're ever going to see him again.' The seagull chattered away; it sounded like it was laughing at her. 'Shoo!' she told it angrily, waving her arms at it as it sat perched on the roof. It flapped its wings and rose up into the air for a few seconds, then settled back down in exactly the same spot. It started screeching again, mocking her. 'Hmph!' she snorted. 'You take as much notice as Lex!' Turning her back on the bird, she continued her journey, concentrating on the tall factory chimney not too far away now that was her next landmark, according to her directions. After that it was only two more turns, then she should be able to see the quayside.

* * *

Darryl stood with his folded arms resting on the railings that surrounded the boat's small deck area, looking out towards the city. He had been out there since Ellie had gone back inside; he just couldn't face everybody looking at him, and in that small a space there would be no escape from them. May would be the worst. He felt colour blooming in his cheeks in embarrassment as he remembered what he had done. How could he have been so stupid? He had felt the anger rising up inside him as the trader had argued with her, and the jealousy when he touched her. All he had wanted to do was protect her, but that was crazy. May was tough, she didn't need protection from anybody, and now he had caused more trouble for every single one of them, whatever Ellie said. If the others didn't turn up soon, they were as good as dead, and it would be all his fault. He hung his head in shame. At first he had thought that it must have been the cramped conditions on the boat that made him act in the way he did, but when the trader had waved that knife in front of his face - when he had thought he was about to die - all that he could think about was May. Why did he suddenly feel this way about her? Sure she was hot, he thought smiling to himself, but she barely noticed him, or at least she hadn't until today and his outburst surely hadn't done him any favours there. Sighing, he shook his head and stared out at the city again. Life had been a lot less complicated when there was only bringing down Mega to worry about.

Hearing movement behind him, he turned round just in time to catch Ebony's slap on his cheek.

'Ouch! What was that for?' he cried, clutching the side of his face with his hand.

'Don't you try and act all innocent with me, Darryl!' she said in a quiet voice that scared him more than he would have been if she had raised her voice.

'Oh, that.'

She made a clapping motion with her hands and laughed mirthlessly. 'Oh, well done! Perhaps there _is_ something in that space between your ears after all!' Her tone immediately changed to one of anger. 'Yes, _that_, you dolt! It's your fault!' This time she did raise her voice. 'Can't you see what you've done? Slade's not coming back and it's all…your…fault!' Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she dug a finger hard into his chest, punctuating those last three words.

'Ouch! You think I don't know that? I like Slade as much as you do! Well, obviously not as much as you do, that would be…um, anyway, what I'm trying to say is that Slade's a good guy. He helped me. I don't want him to die!'

'Really?' she said, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes, analysing every inch of him. She was standing so close that she had to look up to meet his eye, but she still made him uncomfortable. 'You're the only man left now, aren't you Darryl?' She said 'man' as if it were questionable. 'Maybe you thought you'd eliminate the competition, huh? Let's face it, there's no other way any of us would ever go for you. Oh, Ellie may think you're 'sweet', but she knows that even Jack's more of a man than you'll ever be.'

'Of course I didn't do it on purpose! Ebony, I wouldn't…'

'You're just a pathetic little schoolboy,' she sneered, inching closer so that he had to lean backwards over the railings just to avoid touching her. For the second time he thought he was going to die, and for the second time all he could think about was May. 'A schoolboy who tries to impress the girls in the playground by picking a fight with one of the bigger kids.' Was he the only one who _hadn't_ realised how he felt about May? He was terrified, and knew he must look it as well. 'Well guess what, Darryl; this girl isn't impressed, and you've just lost.' She pinned him against the railings in an instant and he stood panting for breath, bent over them so far that he thought his back would break. 'Now you listen to me. When we get to wherever it is we're going, you're going to make yourself scarce, understand?' He nodded his head furiously. 'I said…'

'Yes, yes!' he croaked. 'I understand.'

'Good. Because if you don't, I'm going to be watching you every minute of every day, making your life so much of a nightmare that you'll wish you'd have stayed here with the virus. Got it?'

'Yes,' he breathed, feeling helpless. 'Now, please…'

'Ebony!'

He recognised May's voice, but hadn't noticed her come out. By the way she tensed up, he guessed that Ebony hadn't either. His stomach was doing somersaults and it had nothing to do with Ebony, who now pulled him back up roughly and mockingly dusted off his shoulders. 'Remember, I'll be watching you,' she whispered to him before turning to May. 'He's all yours,' she told her, walking away from him. 'Or at least, what's left of him.' She paused at the door to the cabin to blow him a kiss before laughing wickedly and going inside, looking pleased with herself.

'Are you hurt?' May asked brusquely.

'N-n-no, I'm fine. Thank you.' That was a lie. He ached all over. Realising he was rubbing his back, he put his hands in his pockets. May said nothing. 'Erm, look May, I'm sor…'

'I really don't want to hear anything you have to say right now, Darryl. What Ebony did was wrong and I'm glad you're ok, but I'm not even close to forgiving you yet.' Yet. There was still hope. 'I just came to pass on a message.' She kept her eyes on the deck, refusing to look at him. 'He wants you to cast off.' There was no doubt who 'he' was.

'Can't he do it himself?'

'He specifically asked, no, ordered you to do it. And…and he wanted me to be the one to tell you.'

'I see.' He would have bet everything he owned that the trader was getting a kick out of this.

'Just stay away from him, Darryl. Don't cause any more trouble.' She went back inside and he wished the sea would just swallow him up.

Soon after May left, Sammy came out, joining Darryl at the railings.

'I suppose you hate me too?'

'Nah, you were wicked in there! He got what was coming to him, bossing us around like that. Who does he think he is, anyway?'

He gave Sammy an odd look. 'He didn't 'get' anything, man. He won! And now everybody hates me.'

'No they don't.'

'Ebony hates me. May hates me. _He_ hates me.'

Sammy shrugged. 'Nobody that counts.' Darryl sighed. May counted.

'Stay away from chicks, Sammy,' he warned the youngster. 'They mess with your head, make you do all kinds of crazy stuff.'

Sammy nodded his head in agreement. 'Tell me about it. I'm never going to have a girlfriend. Girls are stupid.'

'That's the spirit, Sammy.'

'Darryl?'

'Yeah?'

'Isn't that Gel?'

He looked up and saw that Sammy was right. The girl running down the jetty, dragging behind her a suitcase that looked ready to burst, was unmistakeably Gel.

'Wait!' she called breathlessly, waving at them as she drew nearer. 'Wait for Gel!'

Darryl climbed onto the jetty and, when Gel approached, helped her to step down onto the boat, with Sammy assisting from the deck.

'Stop fussing, Sammy!' she chided. Sammy promptly let go of her, resulting in her losing her balance and only just managing to stop herself from falling over. 'There's no need to be childish!'

Darryl saw Sammy give him an unimpressed look. He shook his head in reply, then shrugged his shoulders and mouthed the word 'girls'. Sammy nodded and rolled his eyes. Gel was oblivious to this exchange, rearranging her hair, although Darryl couldn't see the need for it; it looked exactly the same as it always did.

Just then, the trader burst out onto the deck, causing Gel to make a squeaking noise and jump in surprise. 'What's taking so long with the cast-off?' he roared. 'Surely even you should be able to untie a piece of rope!' His eyes fell on Gel and his face turned sour. 'Another one. Just what I need.' He shook his head. There was movement in the cabin and Darryl suspected that someone had overheard that there was a new arrival. 'Why did I even agree to this in the first place?' the trader sighed, and at the same time Ebony rushed out, roughly pushing past him, closely followed by Trudy. Ellie had probably been left with the babies again, otherwise she would have been here too, hoping to see Jack. Ebony looked at Gel as though she had just found something unpleasant on her boot, whether because it was her or because it wasn't Slade, Darryl didn't know. Either way, seeing that Gel was alone, she gave him a look that left him in no doubt as to who she felt was to blame before turning on her heels and storming back inside. She brushed past Trudy's shoulder so hard on her way in that the other girl staggered back a couple of steps.

'Gel!' she cried, after regaining her balance, giving the younger girl a hug. 'It's so good to see you, we've been so worried! Have you seen anybody else?' As an actor, Darryl had to give credit to Trudy. Oh, there was no doubt that she was genuinely glad that Gel was safe, but she couldn't hide the disappointment in her eyes that it was neither Jay nor Amber who was standing there in front of her.

Gel shook her head. 'Sorry. I did see Jay, but that was ages ago. He was going to the hotel.' Trudy smiled sadly and put her arm around Gel. 'It's alright. Let's just get you inside, ok?'

'Wait, where's my case?'

'Oh, I've got it,' said Darryl. 'Here, Sammy. Catch!' He threw the suitcase onto the boat. Sammy caught it but stumbled back under its weight.

'Umph! What have you got in here, Gel? The kitchen sink?'

'Don't be silly! And be careful with that!'

'Hey! You can't bring all that luggage on board. It's too heavy,' the trader said, blocking the door to the cabin.

'But I need everything in there! I don't know how long we're going to be away!'

'This is my boat and what I say goes! You might all be used to everything going your way in the city but this is how we do things out here.'

'Oh, just let her bring the case,' Trudy sighed. It's not going to make any difference, especially…' she trailed off and had to swallow before continuing. 'Especially with all the people who aren't here.'

The trader grunted. 'Just hurry up and cast off, before we die already!' He went back inside, muttering to himself. Gel bounced up and down on her toes happily, while Darryl untied the boat from the jetty and jumped back down onto the deck, before following the others inside. There were welcomes and more hugs for Gel from the rest of the tribe, before everyone sat down. Darryl noticed that everyone who had already been inside was squashed together with the others onto one bench, apart from Ebony, who sat on her own on the opposite bench. The people who had just come in had obviously drawn the short straw, and had to sit with her. As they all sat down, the boat's engine revved into life and they began to leave the quayside behind.

'Home?' Brady's small voice piped up, and everyone looked at each other, unable to say anything. Holding onto her daughter, Trudy began to cry quietly.


	10. Trader Trouble

Jay ran along the waterfront as fast as his long legs could carry him, his feet barely touching the ground between strides. His chest heaved as he desperately tried to breathe in as much air as he could, and his heart was pounding so hard that he felt it would burst out. He had had to summon the last of his strength to make it here from the hotel, and his muscles were burning from the exertion. There weren't many people out and about but he hadn't stopped to pass on Amber's message to anyone that was, as he knew that if he stopped there was no way he would be able to continue. He felt relief when at last he turned onto the little wooden jetty where May had told him the boat would be before he had gone to the hotel to find Amber and the others. As he cleared the last of the fishermen's huts the boat came into view, and relief turned to despair as a figure - Darryl, he thought - went inside and then soon after that the engine started: the boat was leaving!

'No, no, no! This can't be happening!' he thought to himself as the vessel slowly moved out to sea, leaving behind a foamy wake. He felt like he was moving in slow motion himself, for all the ground he was covering, even though he knew he couldn't run any faster. He watched helplessly as the boat continued to move further and further away from him. By the time he reached the end of the walkway the boat was already a good way out to sea. Cupping his hands around his mouth to magnify the sound, he tried to call out to his friends on the boat to get them to turn it around. 'May!' It was meant as a shout but as he was out of breath it only came out as a whisper. 'Trudy!' That time he managed a croak. He sank to his knees in defeat. 'Darryl! Salene!' It was no use. Breathless and wracked with pain he collapsed in a heap on the wooden planks of the jetty, one arm dangling over the edge.

* * *

The only sounds that could be heard on the boat were the mechanical purring of the engine and the lapping of the water against the vessel's sides. None of the Mallrats said a word; they all sat staring at their laps, or at the walls, lost in their own thoughts. Trudy sat gently stroking Brady's hair as she lay sleeping against her chest. The soft rocking motion of the boat had sent her off surprisingly quickly. She closed her eyes to avoid looking at Bray Junior who was also asleep, in Ellie's arms. She hoped above all else that Amber was safe and well somewhere, away from the city, and that one day she would be reunited with her son. The poor child already had to grow up without his father; it would be so unfair for him to lose his mother as well, especially after all the good she had done for the whole city. Trudy didn't want to lose her best friend either. She lifted her head and wiped away a tear. As she did so, she caught sight of something through the porthole between May and Salene's heads. There was too much grime on the glass to be sure, but she thought she had seen someone standing on the quayside. She quickly handed Brady over to Ebony, who was sitting next to her and was so startled that she held out her arms to take her before realising what she was doing, by which time she was already holding the little girl. Trudy, meanwhile, had rushed over to the porthole, attracting everyone's attention, and was trying to rub off some of the dirt, sobbing in frustration when she realised that most of it was on the outside of the window.

'Trudy, what's wrong?' asked a concerned Salene, who was leaning over Ruby to give her friend more room between her and May.

'I think there's someone there!' she replied vaguely, before heading towards the door to the deck.

'What, in the water?' she heard Gel ask as she walked past her, but she didn't answer. If she was right, there wasn't much time. Every second was taking them further away from the jetty. She went outside and held on tightly to the railings, peering back out over the water to the quayside. It wasn't long before she was joined by Salene and May, but by then she had already seen all the proof she needed.

'There _is_ someone back there!' she pointed. 'I…I think it's Jay!' The black-clad, blond-haired figure lying face down on the jetty certainly looked like he was wearing one of the Techno uniforms, and who else could it be apart from Jay?

'What's wrong with him?' asked Salene, sounding worried. 'You don't think…it can't be the virus, can it?'

'I don't think it works that quickly,' said May.

'It can't be the virus! It just can't!' Trudy cried. 'May! We have to go back for him!'

'I don't know, Trudy.'

'We can't just leave him there!' Salene said, shocked.

'That's not what I meant. I'll do what I can but it's not going to be easy, not now he's already set off.' She went back inside, followed by Salene, while Trudy stayed out on the deck.

'Hold on Jay!' she shouted. 'We're coming!' She doubted that Jay could hear her, but saying it at least made her feel better.

* * *

May walked back into the cabin and headed straight for the small control room, paying no attention to the barrage of questions being fired at her from all directions. Leaving Salene to explain to the others what was going on, she knocked on the door; being rude wasn't going to help her convince him to turn the boat around. Receiving no answer she decided to knock again.

'Can't you people take a hint?' came the reply. 'Go away! I'm busy!' Seeing that politeness was getting her nowhere, she barged right in. 'Hey! I said…oh, it's you. What do you want now?'

'We have to turn back.'

'What!? No way! Are you blind? It's too late, we're already too far away to turn back now.'

'Rubbish! One of our tribe is back there, we've seen him. We _have_ to go back.'

'Look, I like you May. You've got attitude and you're good for business, but you're really starting to annoy me now.'

'You don't understand…'

'No, _you_ don't understand. I've been patient with the brat pack out there for your sake, but no more favours! I'm calling the shots here, and you'd do well to remember that.'

May sighed. 'I really didn't want to have to do this, but you've left me with no choice.' She took him by surprise and worked quickly, grabbing him and forcing him to his knees. Having scanned the area when she first came in - she hadn't expected him to turn around voluntarily - she dragged him over to a coil of rope she had spotted by the wall, intending to tie his hands together. Before she could do this, however, he managed to break free from her grip, overpowering her and roughly knocking her to the floor. As she scrambled backwards, he took out his knife again and started waving it towards her threateningly. This wasn't exactly going according to her plan.

'Don't think I won't use it,' he said.

May knew the situation was too much for her to handle on her own now, although she didn't like having to admit it to herself. 'Darryl!' she shouted. 'Now would be a good time to help!'

* * *

Avoiding everybody's knowing looks, Darryl forced himself to get up slowly. He wanted more than anything to rush straight through to May's aid, but at the same time he didn't want people to think that he was so besotted that he would do everything she said at the drop of a hat, especially when she had made it clear that she didn't even like him. No, he still had a small grain of dignity left. The short distance from the end of the bench where he was sitting to the other end of the cabin seemed to take forever to travel, walking as calmly as he could, while everyone else sat watching him. All except for Gel, who was too busy looking after Brady - Ebony had ditched the girl as soon as Trudy had gone outside, waking her up in the process.

As soon as he entered the control area he had to duck - letting out an embarrassingly high-pitched noise as he did so - to avoid a knife that sliced through the air above him, missing his scalp by inches.

'Take your time why don't you?' May snapped, instantly making him feel guilty. He knew she was in danger and he had been more concerned about his stupid pride. She could have been killed! The trader motioned them both to the end of the room, which was so small that they stood touching each other. He could smell her perfume.

'You have a plan, right?' he asked her.

'I thought you would at least be able to distract him for a bit while I took him out.' Great. Now he felt guilty _and_ useless.

'I've had just about enough of the both of you…' the trader started, but Darryl interrupted.

'Yes! Hit him with the suitcase Gel!' he yelled. As the trader whirled around to face an imaginary foe he sprang into action, ramming the guy's wrist against the doorframe so that he dropped the knife. May reacted just as quickly, finishing him off with a knee to the groin that made Darryl wince. As the trader collapsed to the floor in a writhing ball of agony she calmly pocketed the knife and went over to the controls.

'What did you think of that then, eh? The oldest trick in the book and he fell for it!' he said, feeling pleased with himself. May was too busy fiddling with the controls and wasn't listening.

'And that move you pulled on him at the end was amazing!' Again, nothing.

'May?' He tried one last time, but was again unsuccessful.

'I'll just go, shall I?'

He wandered back out through the cabin. The boat began to turn and everybody started cheering. Even Ebony looked pleased, but he didn't much feel like celebrating. When Trudy came back inside smiling from ear to ear he took the opportunity to go out onto the deck to be alone. He knew he wasn't May's favourite person right now, but did she really have to blank him like that? Ebony was right, he was nothing compared to Slade or Jay or Lex. He might as well just give up now. Staring out to sea he tried not to think about whether they would have turned back if it had been him at the quayside instead of Jay.

* * *

'That's fine. I understand,' Amber told the two girls. 'Don't stay away too long though, ok?' They looked at each other with uncertainty before turning to leave. When they were out of earshot she walked back to her companions. Lex and Slade were standing on the other side of the road, supporting Jack between them, who was still unconscious. 'This is hopeless!' she exclaimed, throwing her arms out in frustration. 'That's, what, the fourth group of people we've seen so far?' Slade nodded. 'And not one of them believed me when I told them they didn't have to leave the city anymore. Not one!'

'What is their problem?' agreed Lex. 'We risked our lives in there, the ungrateful…'

'You can't blame them for being wary,' Slade interrupted. 'You remember all the false alarms the first time around don't you? They probably think it's better to be safe than sorry, and to be honest I'm not sure that I wouldn't be doing the same if I was in their shoes, staying clear of the city for a few days until I figured out what was going on. They'll be back, when the time is right for them.'

'But Amber told them it was safe!'

'He's right, Lex,' she shrugged. 'I guess they just don't trust me as much anymore, and they're probably right. I can't believe we helped Mega to gain control of the city!'

'My brother seems to have been good at manipulating people, and I don't think they blame you. It's just that, in this world, when it's a life or death situation people don't want to trust anyone but themselves. That's just the way things are since the virus.'

'Let's just keep going,' she said. 'I just want to go home now.'

'Right. We're not far now, just coming up to the outskirts of Sector Ten,' Lex told her.

'Yeah, well the sooner the better,' she said, leading the way. Slade and Lex followed with Jack. She hoped he was going to be ok; he had been with the tribe from the start and she couldn't imagine him not being around. Passing an alleyway, she glanced casually down it and suddenly stopped dead. She was sure there had been somebody there, just for an instant. Of course there was the possibility that she was imagining it, especially after everything she had been through today, but she didn't think so. Either way she had to know.

'What's the matter Amber?' Slade asked as she took a step towards the passage. She motioned for them both to be quiet.

'I think there's someone down there,' she whispered.

'Woah, woah, woah!' Lex butted in, dumping Jack on Slade and moving towards the alley. 'There's no way you're going in there!' he said, striding down himself.

'I can look after myself, Lex!' As usual, he wasn't listening.

'You're outnumbered!' he shouted into the alley, rattling the dustbins and skips and generally trying to make as much noise as he possibly could. 'So you might as well come out quietly and give yourself up!' He walked stealthily further into the alley towards the end of the row of skips, the only possible hiding place. As he reached towards the ground to pick up a discarded length of metal piping, a small figure darted out and ran through his legs. Acting quickly, he dropped the pipe and whirled around, managing to grab hold of the fugitive. 'Aha! Gotcha!'

'Yeah, well done Lex,' Slade said sarcastically. 'You caught a little kid.'

Amber laughed. 'Oh Lex! My hero!'

'Well none of us knew that before, did we?' he complained. 'Anyway, she could've bitten me, and who knows what these strays have, eh? I could have got rabies or something.'

'That's not funny Lex. If anyone's an animal here, it's you.'

'You deal with her then,' he told her, giving the little girl a rough shove. She stuck her tongue out at him before running straight to Amber, who crouched down to talk to the girl on the same level.

'Hello,' she said, trying to give a warm smile. 'I'm Amber.' The girl's eyes widened. Was she afraid of her? 'Do you recognise me?' she asked. The girl bit her lip, as if thinking of what to say before answering.

'You said the virus was coming again. Am I going to die?'

She gave the girl a hug. 'Aw, no sweetie, nobody's going to die. The virus isn't getting out anymore. We fixed things.' The girl didn't say anything else about the virus. She seemed satisfied with the answer. 'What's your name, honey?'

'Bonnie,' she replied. Amber smiled sadly at the irony. In her present state, the girl was anything but bonny. About ten years old, she wore a drab brown dress that didn't fit her very well and had several patches sewn to it in various shades of green that only emphasised the grubbiness of the dress. Her dark brown, naturally curly hair, falling to just below her shoulders, was messy and tangled and her face was also dirty. Her tribal markings had almost faded, but she could just about make out the two small stars, one at the corner of each bright blue eye. She thought they might have been painted gold.

'That's a pretty name,' she said. 'Where's the rest of your tribe, Bonnie?' The little girl shrugged unhelpfully. 'Have they left you here on your own?' Her worst fear had been that people would abandon the little ones to save themselves when she had made her broadcast.

Bonnie shook her head, biting her lip again. 'They disappeared. There were planes and then they were gone.' So, the Technos had taken them. How long had Bonnie survived in the city, fending for herself?

'Don't you have anywhere to go? A home?' Bonnie looked back down the alley. 'Oh, you poor girl!' Amber whispered, hugging her again. 'Don't worry, you're safe now.'

'Amber,' Lex said in a warning tone.

'Oh don't be silly, Lex. We can't leave her out here on her own.'

'She seems to have done alright on her own up 'til now.'

'She's coming with us back to the mall. That is, if you want to come with us, Bonnie. You'd be very welcome, and there'll be food and somewhere warm for you to sleep at night.'

'I'd like that,' she said. 'Thank you.' She smiled sweetly at Lex but he had gone to help Slade with Jack again and was so obviously not looking in her direction that he must have known what she was doing.

'That's Lex, Bonnie, and this is Slade.'

'Pleased to meet you, Bonnie.'

'And this is Jack.'

'Is he dead?' Bonnie asked.

'No…no sweetie, he's just…sleeping.'

'He must be very tired, then.'

'Yes, that's it. He's tired. He's just had a very long day. We've all had a very long day.'

Amber held onto Bonnie's hand as the little girl skipped alongside her happily. Her presence seemed to lift everybody's spirits and it wasn't long before they found themselves back at the mall. Entering the mall when it was empty always reminded her of the day she had first arrived here with Salene and Dal. Things hadn't changed enough for her liking since then, and she was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to be truly safe.

As soon as everyone was inside, Slade and Lex began to climb the stairs to take Jack to his room. Amber followed the pair and Bonnie followed all of them. Inside the room, Jack was laid out on the bed carefully, while she rearranged the pillows and generally tried to make him more comfortable. Now all that was left was for them to wait until he recovered, however long that might be.

'Can you two show Bonnie around the mall, maybe give her something to eat?' she asked. 'I just want to stay here a little bit longer, so he's not alone.'

Slade nodded and guided Bonnie out of the room, with Lex following behind. 'Come on Bonnie, Lex is going to take us on a grand tour of the place.'

Lex grunted at Slade's comment and shot an accusatory look at Amber, but she didn't care. When they had all left, she pulled out a chair from under Jack's desk and settled herself down next to the bed. 'I'm so sorry, Jack,' she murmured, taking one of his hands in both of hers. 'I should never have let you go through with this. We would all have been on our way out of this stupid place, been able to make a fresh start where nobody had ever heard of Zoot or the Chosen or the Technos. Somewhere safe.' Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she continued. 'You would have been fine, Ram would still be alive, and we would all have been together again. Now we might be the only ones left. Oh Jack, please wake up!' She let go of his hand to wipe away her tears but as soon as she did so, fresh ones replaced them. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stop them.

* * *

Standing outside Jack's room with Lex and Bonnie, Slade could hear Amber's muffled sobs through the curtain. He had thought at first that she had been upset about what she had seen in the hotel but what if he was wrong? What if that had just been the final straw, and the problem was in fact something much deeper that had been bubbling away inside of her for who knows how long?

'Bonnie, why don't you go on ahead,' he whispered to the little girl. 'Just stay by the fountain over there and we'll be down in a minute.' This wasn't something she needed to hear. She gave him a confused look and bit her lip in that funny way she had, but in the end she nodded her head and ran down the stairs. When he was sure she was far enough away he turned to Lex to voice his concerns.

'I'm worried about Amber,' he said, wondering what Lex's reaction would be. Even he must have noticed something too.

'I don't blame you,' the other man replied. 'She's seriously messed up. Fine one minute, crying her eyes out the next. She's lost it, man. Big time.'

'Easy on the sympathy there, Lex. I think we should keep an eye on her.'

'What, like stalk her?'

'Sometimes you scare me, Lex. No, I just mean look in on her every now and then, just to make sure she's ok and to let her know we're there for her, at least until the others get here.'

'If they get here.'

'Do you always have to be so negative? Jay's out there at least. He should be able to talk to her, but until then just go easy on her, ok?'

'Whatever you say, doctor.'

'I mean it Lex. Now, let's go find Bonnie.'

'Great. Why do we always have to bring in every waif and stray we meet, huh?'

Ignoring him, Slade made his way down the stairs towards the fountain where Bonnie was carefully walking along its edge, arms outstretched to balance herself. Lex had no choice but to follow him. 'Alright then, kiddo,' he told her as Lex reached the bottom of the stairs. 'Welcome to the mall!' Bonnie jumped off the fountain and into his arms, grinning broadly, making him laugh in pleasant surprise. 'Better get started on this grand tour then, hadn't we? Lead on, Lex!'

'Me?'

'I don't exactly know this place all that well myself yet, do I?'

'Fine,' Lex sighed. 'We'll start down here then get something to eat upstairs.'

He put down Bonnie and, as the pair of them followed Lex, he wondered if Amber would be feeling any better by the time they finished.

* * *

Since being freed from the hotel's computer systems, Jack had been in a state of panic, and only now was he beginning to calm down slightly as he became resigned to his situation. It was like his brain was the only part of him that was functioning properly. He was suffering some kind of paralysis. He tried to move, to speak, even to open his eyes but somehow all the signals he was sending to his body seemed to be being blocked. All he could do was wait and keep on trying. To help clear his mind he tried going over what had happened after the headset had been removed. His earliest memories from then were a blur as he hadn't been able to think straight, but there had been some kind of commotion that had nothing to do with him. He hadn't heard anything from Ram since then and he was beginning to think the worst. After that it had taken him a long time to realise that they must have left the hotel as he couldn't feel anything from his body. No touch, no movement. He thought they were back at the mall now, though. Amber was talking to him, blaming herself for his condition - he wanted to tell her that it wasn't her fault, that he had wanted to do what he did. He would never have forgiven himself otherwise. Lex and Slade didn't seem to be around anymore, and neither did the female voice who had suddenly turned up at some point on the journey home. He wondered if the others were here yet, or if they had already left the city. Shouldn't they be sending someone out to find them, or had they already done that? He was still very confused about what was going on around him. Part of him desperately wanted to be with Ellie, while the rest of him didn't want her to see him like this. How long would it be before he recovered? Would he recover at all? That didn't bear thinking about. However long it took, he was going to get better. He was determined that he wasn't going to spend the rest of his life trapped inside his own mind. Concentrating, he tried to focus all his energy into opening his eyes. That, at least, would be a start.


	11. Reunited

Sprawled out exhausted on the jetty, Jay just wanted the noise in his head to stop but it only got louder. In his confused state it took some time for him to recognise the noise for what it actually was, the sound of the boat's engine. That could only mean one thing - someone had seen him and they were coming back. Praying he wasn't dreaming, he lifted his head and smiled in disbelief when he saw the boat. It was one thing hoping it would be there, but quite another to actually see the proof. Forgetting his tiredness he jumped to his feet, ready to welcome his friends back onto dry land. As the vessel slowly came in line with the walkway there was a scramble of movement on board, as a result of which Trudy and Salene came out onto the deck with huge smiles on their faces. Salene threw him the mooring rope and he secured the boat in place before helping them both off onto the wooden boards. As soon as she was ashore, Trudy threw her arms around him, reminding him just how much his body ached.

'Jay! I'm so glad to see you!' she cried. 'Sorry, are you hurt?'

'Nothing a little rest won't fix,' he said, wincing a little. 'I thought I was going to be too late.'

'You nearly were,' said Salene. 'It's a good job Trudy spotted you.'

'Yes, but there's no time to explain,' Trudy interrupted. 'We've got to get back on the boat. Come on, Jay.' Before he realised what was going on he found himself being ushered towards the boat by the two girls.

'No, wait!' he protested. 'Nobody needs to go anywhere. The virus isn't getting out anymore!'

'You mean…' Trudy said, wide-eyed. 'Amber and the others stopped it? We're safe?'

'We're safe,' he confirmed. Trudy and Salene squealed and hugged each other, then Salene jumped back down onto the boat to tell the others. It was then that he realised Trudy was crying. 'What's wrong, Trudy?' he asked.

'Nothing. Really, it's nothing. It's just that I didn't think I was ever going to see you again - any of you - and now you're here and…look at me, crying over nothing!' She laughed at herself. 'Jay, are the others alright? Is Amber okay?'

'What about Jack?'

'And Slade?'

Ellie and Ebony led the rest of the Mallrats off the boat and soon there was a crowd around him, all asking after him and the rest of the tribe. Last out of the cabin were May and someone Jay didn't recognise, presumably the boat's owner. He walked with a slight limp and kept drinking from a hip flask, which Jay didn't think seemed like a good idea if he was supposed to have been steering the boat.

'Don't smother the man!' May told the group around Jay, smiling. 'Jay, you have no idea how good it felt to hear your news. I don't think we would have been in for a very calm journey.' Somehow he didn't think she was talking about the weather.

'Hello May,' he said. 'I'm sorry we've had to inconvenience your friend here!'

'Inconvenience?' The man spluttered. 'That hardly covers what I've been subjected to since you lot got here, and on my own boat no less! I assume I'll be adequately compensated for loss of income?'

'Don't push your luck, pal,' May snorted, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

'Shall we head back to the mall then?' Trudy asked, clearly wanting to change the subject. The boat's owner looked like he wanted to hurt somebody. Darryl shifted nervously on his feet.

'Come on then, let's go home,' Jay said. 'I'll fill you all in on the way, but to be honest I don't know very much myself. I more or less came straight here as soon as I caught up with the others.'

'Yeah, good riddance!' the guy shouted at them as they headed back into the city, still clustered around Jay. Slowly they left the boat and its angry owner behind, and the huts and workshops gradually began to give way to more substantial buildings. The usually lively streets were now eerily quiet though, so he was glad when the questions started up again.

'So what happened at the hotel then?' May asked. 'Did you find out?' He shook his head.

'I don't know. They'd already left by the time I reached them. All I know is that they definitely stopped the virus, but I don't know how. Something bad must have happened in there, though. They were pretty shaken up.'

'Is everybody alright?' Salene asked.

'Mega's dead I think, Ram too. And Jack, well he was in a pretty bad state. I don't think he was conscious.'

'He is alive though?' Ellie said, more of a statement than a question.

'Yes, he's alive. I just wish I knew what happened to them in there. They were all soaking wet as well,' he suddenly remembered, scratching his head.

'Are Lex and Slade ok?' asked Darryl.

'Yes. Jack was the only one I saw who was injured. The other three seemed fine, under the circumstances I mean.' With everyone satisfied that the city was safe, and that their friends were for the most part unscathed, the questions stopped and the Mallrats started talking among themselves. One voice that rose above the others was that of Gel. She was talking to Sammy and Darryl about her journey to the boat and Jay had started listening when he heard his name mentioned, but what she said next attracted the attention of the whole tribe.

'Kidnapped?' Salene asked incredulously.

'Yes, I stopped to ask these two guys for directions and the next thing I knew I was being pushed into an old warehouse, it was awful! They wanted to sell me to someone as a slave!'

'You should be careful who you talk to Gel,' Salene said. 'Especially when you're on your own in an area like that. There's always been people like that down there since the virus, believe me I know.' Jay wondered what she was talking about.

'Yeah, well it was either that or get infected by the virus trying to find the boat. Anyway, I nearly escaped.'

'What do you mean, nearly escaped? You're here aren't you?'

'I was rescued!' she said proudly. 'By a knight in shining armour. It was so romantic! I took a step towards him, he took a step towards me. I looked into his eyes, and he looked into mine.' She sighed wistfully and stared into space, lost in her own little world. There were a few giggles and Ebony rolled her eyes, while Sammy pretended to be sick.

'Yeah? Well does this 'knight' have a name?' Ellie asked, sounding unimpressed.

'Don't be silly,' Gel blushed. 'Of course he does.'

'You don't know it do you?' Ellie replied, trying hard not to laugh. 'You were too busy staring into his eyes to think of asking him! That is just so typically Gel!' Seeing that Gel looked hurt, Jay tried to help out.

'Why didn't you bring him back here with you?' he asked. 'He would have been welcome.'

'He knocked out one of the men who kidnapped me,' she explained, sounding in danger of falling back into her daydream. 'And he said he had to take him somewhere safe so that the virus wouldn't get him. He asked me to go with him, but I couldn't just leave you guys here waiting for me.'

'Lucky us,' Ellie sneered, earning her a warning look from Salene.

'I wish something like that would happen to me,' Trudy sighed, with the same yearning look that Gel had had. Everybody looked at her. 'Preferably without the whole kidnapping thing, though,' she added quickly, blushing.

* * *

It wasn't long before the Mallrats entered more familiar territory in the heart of the city. Soon they would be home. Ellie had long since stopped paying attention to what the others were saying. Actually that wasn't strictly true - she had stopped paying attention to what Gel was saying, and so had most of the others, although she was still yapping away to Darryl and Sammy who both looked half asleep. Maybe she had been a little harsh on the girl earlier, but how could she talk about her love life when the love of Ellie's life could still be unconscious? She had thought for one brief moment, although it had seemed much longer, that Jay had said Jack was dead, along with Ram and Mega. Didn't Gel understand how she felt? Did she have no tact? Wait, stupid question. One conversation she was still interested in was the one Jay was having with Ruby, although it wasn't so much what they were saying as Ebony's reaction to it. Ruby was telling Jay about her run-in with the truck on the way to the boat, and Ebony was walking a short distance behind the pair. She kept looking at them, obviously eavesdropping and probably trying to find out what Ruby remembered about the incident and if she would tell Jay what had really happened. Ellie was now convinced that Ebony had been responsible for Ruby's 'accident' and it didn't take a genius to figure out why - she obviously hadn't been told that Ruby wasn't actually pregnant and wanted her to miscarry Slade's baby. If Ebony was still capable of things like that they were going to have to keep an eye on her now that she was back with the Mallrats, assuming she stayed with them of course. Ellie sighed. As if she didn't have enough to worry about right now.

As they finally drew closer to the mall she decided she could wait no longer. Handing little Bray over to Salene she ran the rest of the short distance down the street, through the car park and into the old shopping centre's main courtyard.

'Jack!' she called out, not slowing down as she continued up the stairs.

'Ellie?' a familiar voice replied from the café at the top of the stairs. Lex rose from his chair to greet her and despite her better judgement she found herself giving him a hug. Slade was sitting with him, and there was also a little girl at the table who was watching her with curiosity.

'Lex! I never thought I'd say this but it's good to see you. Where's Jack?'

'He's in his room resting,' he replied. 'Amber's with him at the moment. Where are the others?'

'They'll be here soon,' she called back, already heading for Jack's room. When she got there she found him lying in bed, with Amber sitting by his side crying. Her heart caught in her throat and she began to fear the worst.

'Amber?' she said tentatively. 'Is he..?'

'Ellie!' Amber smiled, wiping her eyes in a vain effort to hide the fact that she had been crying. 'You're back! Jack's…well, we don't know what's wrong with Jack. He's alive, but all we can do is wait. I'm so sorry Ellie.' The two girls hugged and Ellie felt a huge surge of relief.

'I can't lose him Amber,' she said, hoping to hear some words of encouragement from the other girl, but Amber just stood there looking at Jack.

'I'll leave you two alone,' she finally said before leaving the room in a hurry. Ellie watched her go, to be replaced by Lex standing at the doorway.

'What's wrong with Amber?' she asked him.

'We don't know,' he said. 'She's been like that since the hotel, off and on. I thought she'd have snapped out of it by now.'

'Jay's on his way. He'll be able to help her.'

'They've just got back by the sound of things,' Lex said. 'I'm going down to meet them.'

'Okay, I'll stay here with Jack.' Lex nodded and left the room, while she sat down in the chair Amber had just vacated and started stroking Jack's hand. 'Hey baby,' she said softly. 'It's me. We're back from the boat now. It looks like you're a hero again!' She sat there talking to him, hoping that the sound of his voice would bring him back to her, but if he could hear her he wasn't showing any sign of it.

* * *

'Hello?' Trudy called out as Jay led them into the mall. 'Is anyone home?' She heard the scraping of chairs in the café upstairs, then Slade rushed down to greet them, or more accurately he rushed down to greet Ebony, the pair locking lips as soon as he reached her. Trudy covered Brady's eyes and looked away.

'Eww, what's that?' Gel asked from further behind. Beside Slade stood a very mucky looking girl in an even muckier dress, and it was this girl that Gel was apparently referring to. The girl had been watching Slade and Ebony but now that everyone was looking at her she hid behind him, peeking out and biting her lip nervously.

'It's ok,' he told the girl, guiding her in front of him and putting his hands on her shoulders to present her to the group. 'Everyone, this is Bonnie. Bonnie, this is Ebony, Jay, Salene, May, Sammy, Gel, Ruby, Darryl and Trudy.' He pointed everyone out as he said their names. 'And that's Brady, and his name is Bray.'

'Hello,' she said shyly, overwhelmed by all the names. Most people replied but one notable exception was Ebony.

'She seems very attached to you,' she told her boyfriend. 'I hope she's not going to follow you around everywhere.'

'Don't be silly. What's the matter anyway? I think it's cute. Don't you like children?'

'In case you hadn't noticed already, no I don't.'

'Oh. Well I guess that's just too bad then, because I do.'

'So I see. Especially other people's it seems,' Ebony said before storming off.

'Ebony!' Slade called before chasing after her. Bonnie looked as if she might follow but then seemed to think better of it. Looking around at the assembled Mallrats, she instead picked out Gel and stood next to her expectantly. Gel looked horrified, but when she didn't say anything Bonnie decided to make the first move.

'I like your hair,' she told the older girl. Gel's expression changed at once, beaming at the little girl and unconsciously twirling her hair around her fingers.

'Thank you!' she replied. She looked thoughtful for a moment then added, 'Why don't we go up to my room and get you all cleaned up? I might even have some nice new clothes for you to wear!' Bonnie hugged her and Gel laughed before linking arms with her and going upstairs. On the way they passed Amber coming down, closely followed by Lex.

'Amber!' Trudy called to her friend, but she was beaten to her by Jay. He tried to give Amber a kiss but she flinched and pushed him away.

'Not now, Jay,' she sighed irritably. At first he looked a little puzzled, but then he laughed and put his arms around her waist from behind, nestling his chin on her shoulder. Trudy felt a tiny stab of jealousy.

'Come on Amber, don't be like that,' he smiled. 'You've saved the day again. Take a break, the city's safe!'

'Get off me!' She pulled away from him angrily, turning around to face him. 'The city's empty, Jay! Everyone we spoke to decided they still wanted to leave and you know what? They were right! Ram and Mega are dead, Jay, and Jack's in some sort of coma, and for what? We should have just gone when we had the chance.'

Trudy and Salene, who was holding Bray, looked at each other as if to ask what was going on. Salene decided to try and cheer Amber up by stepping forward to return her son to her, but again she pulled back.

'I…I can't Salene. Please, just…' she couldn't finish and began to walk away.

'Amber, wait!' Jay cried, grabbing hold of her arm.

'Jay just leave me alone!' she shouted at him, then turned to address the rest of the tribe. 'Why can't any of you see? Every time we pick ourselves up something else happens and the chaos just comes right back!' As if to prove her point a loud scream came from one of the upstairs rooms.

'That sounded like Gel,' said Lex, and the Mallrats all headed up the stairs to see what was the matter, apart from Amber who stood shaking by the fountain.

'It'll be alright,' Jay called back as he left her. 'I'll be right back.'

Trudy hesitated over leaving Amber behind, but thought she would rather be on her own for a while. She was just stressed that was all, and who could blame her? She would be fine after a good night's sleep. When she entered the room with the rest of the tribe she saw Bonnie hiding behind Gel, both of them looking at a motionless figure lying on the floor, apparently having fallen out of the wardrobe, which was wide open. Trudy gasped in shock when she realised who it was.

'Lottie!' Ruby cried as she and Jay rushed over to the girl.

'Is she alright?' Darryl asked.

'She's just fainted I think,' Jay said, checking her over. 'She should be ok though.'

'Oh Lottie! What was she doing in there Gel?' Ruby asked angrily.

'I…I don't know. I locked it before I left the mall. I guess she was hiding in there.'

'I thought she'd got lost in the city!' Ruby cried. 'Oh, I'm so glad she's safe!'

'Alright everyone, let's give her some space,' Jay said. 'Darryl, can you help Ruby with Lottie?' Darryl nodded and while he and Ruby stayed behind to see to Lottie, the rest of the Mallrats filed out of Gel's room. Jay rushed ahead of them, presumably to check on Amber, but while everyone was still halfway down the stairs he came back, looking upset.

'What is it Jay?' Trudy asked.

'It's Amber,' he replied. 'She's gone!'


	12. An Unwelcome Surprise

Morning light washed over Jay's face and he woke up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and slowly realising where he was. It had turned out that Amber had been taken to her room by Slade, who had found her crying in the courtyard when he came out to investigate the scream from Gel's room. When Jay had gone in to check on her she had told him that she needed a bit of space, and so he had been forced to spend the night on Darryl's couch. As a result of this he ached all over, and this was on top of the stiffness he still felt from all the running around he had done the previous day. Still, it was worth it if it meant that Amber was still safe in the mall. Looking around, he saw that Darryl's bed was empty and wondered what time it was. The room itself, next to Gel's, was fairly big although plain, as the latest Mallrat had yet to make his mark on it. Jay dread to think what it would look like after it got the Darryl treatment. The other newcomers had also chosen their rooms. Ruby and Lottie shared a room at the other end of the stairs, next to Slade and Ebony. When Ebony and Ruby realised that they were neighbours they had nearly come to blows, but neither was willing to swallow her pride and back down so in the end they stayed where they were. Bonnie, meanwhile, had been taken in by Gel and the two were becoming friends in spite of Gel's initial reaction to the girl. Jay suspected that she was happy to have someone to talk to now that Mouse was gone.

He sat back with his hands behind his head and began to mull over all that had happened the day before. Would everything have been different if he had gone to the hotel with the others? He would have been able to be there for Amber and maybe she would have been alright. While he was thinking, Darryl came back into the room carrying a tray of food.

'Ah, good,' he said. 'You're up. Fancy some breakfast? It's scrambled eggs.'

'Wow, thanks Darryl. You didn't have to you know.' He took the tray eagerly, his stomach rumbling at the aroma.

'Actually I didn't, it was Trudy's idea. I just made the coffee.'

'Trudy?' he repeated, suddenly uncomfortable.

'Yeah, but it's ok. I don't think she wants to get back with you or anything.' Jay nodded and tucked into his breakfast.

'Listen Darryl,' he said through a mouthful of scrambled egg. 'Thanks for letting me crash here last night.'

'No problem man,' Darryl said. 'Are…are you and Amber going to be alright?'

Jay's stomach tightened slightly and he shrugged. 'I hope so. I'm not giving up on her anyway, she needs me.'

'Yeah, well good luck with that. I'd better get back out there,' Darryl said apologetically. 'Some of us are going back to the hotel today and we're trying to figure out what to do with the virus. Slade wants to know if you're coming.'

He sighed and put the tray down on the floor. 'I'd forgotten about that. Yeah, count me in I guess. When are we leaving?'

'As soon as everyone's ready.'

'Okay then, go and tell Slade I'm coming with you and I'll be out as soon as I can.' Darryl nodded and left the room.

Pulling the blanket that was covering him off the couch, he stepped into his boots and pulled on his top. After shovelling down a bit more breakfast and drinking his coffee he picked up the tray and took it out to the café. When he got there he found that Trudy had already left, but Lex, Slade and Darryl were all huddled together around the far table, while Gel sat at a closer one, along with someone who looked very familiar.

'Mouse?' he said, doing a double take and putting his hand on the girl's shoulder. When she turned around to face him he realised his mistake. 'Oh. Sorry Bonnie, I thought you were someone else.'

Gel giggled. 'I didn't have anything that fit her, but I found some of Mouse's old things that she didn't take with her to the hippies, that she can wear until I make her something new.'

'Ah, I see. I didn't realise you could do that Gel.'

'Trudy's helping me. I'm more into the designing side of things, you know? With Bonnie's input of course.'

'Of course,' he said, wondering how much input Bonnie would actually have.

'Jay!' Slade called from the other table. 'Stop flirting with the girls and get over here!' Gel and Bonnie laughed and he went over to the others.

'Morning,' he said. 'So what's the plan?' Darryl and Lex looked to Slade, who seemed to be in charge.

'I saw some of those…biohazard suits, or whatever you call them, in the storeroom when I was looking fir a bandage,' he said. 'We can use those to get into the lab safely. Then we're going to have to find some sort of container to put the virus in – we'll have a better idea of what's there once we get inside – and bury it somewhere it won't be disturbed. Maybe the rubbish dump?'

Jay nodded. 'I can't think of anywhere else.'

'When we've done that we can go back for Ram and my brother. Is everybody ready then?' Lex and Darryl said that they were. 'Jay?'

'I should probably say goodbye to Amber first, and see how she is.'

'Alright. We'll be downstairs waiting for you. Don't be too long.' The other three men left the table, then he went over to Amber's room and knocked on the doorframe. He heard her shift on the bed but she didn't answer so he poked his head behind the curtain, the rest of him following when he saw that she was awake and dressed.

'Amber?' There was no reply. 'Amber, I'm going back to the hotel with the other guys. We're going to dispose of Mega's virus and…the rest.' He didn't want to risk upsetting her further by mentioning the bodies.

'Bye then,' she said uncaringly.

'Right. Well, I just wanted to tell you so, you know, you didn't worry or anything.'

'I won't.'

'That's…that's good, I guess. We'll be back as soon as we can.' He turned to leave then stopped. 'Amber…I love you, and I want to help you get through this. If you'd just talk to me…'

'I don't want to talk, Jay! Please, just go!' Jay did as he was told but he didn't like it. He knew she would come around sooner or later, he just hoped it would be sooner. As he emerged back on the other side of the curtain he saw Slade standing at the top of the stairs.

'You did your best,' he was told by the other man. 'You've just got to keep being there for her. Things will get back to normal, you'll see.' He slapped him on the back and the two of them went down to meet Lex and Darryl. Darryl smiled in what Jay took to be sympathy, while Lex didn't make any comments about keeping them waiting, for which he was thankful.

The four men exited the mall and went out onto the city streets. Rubbish littered the ground from the evacuation; under Ram and even more so under Mega there had been regular litter collection work parties, and the current state of the streets only confirmed that the Technos' regime was well and truly over. The city itself was deserted, and by the time the group of Mallrats arrived at the hotel they had seen no other living souls, although they had passed one woman who had probably been trampled to death in the crowds. Heading up the stairs to the hotel's front entrance, the four men stopped in the reception area to confirm their plan.

'Right everyone,' Slade said. 'Chances are we're not going to have any problems once we get in there, but keep your eyes peeled just in case. There may be looters around.' Lex and Darryl nodded. Jay looked around him, taking in the damp walls and floor.

'You short-circuited the system?' he said, putting two and two together. 'Good idea.'

'Jack did it from inside, with one of those headsets,' Lex tried to explain, although it was clear that he didn't fully understand what had happened either. 'He's lucky he didn't end up like Ram and Mega.'

'They did the same?'

Lex nodded. 'For all the good it did them.'

Slade led them the rest of the way to the storeroom he remembered from the day before in silence. When they got there he blinked and backed out of the room, looking around as if he wanted to make sure they were in the right place. When he went back inside he started searching around for something, looking confused.

'Lost something?' Lex asked.

'The suits are gone,' he replied.

'What do you mean they've gone? They can't have walked off by themselves. Are you sure this is the right place?'

'This is the place alright.'

'Maybe you saw them somewhere else?' Darryl mused, trying to be helpful. 'Or maybe you mistook something else for a bio-suit.'

Slade looked at him funny. 'They weren't exactly the first thing on my mind, but I know one of those suits when I see one, and there were four of them, all lined up against that wall there. Just enough for us.'

'What are you saying Slade?' Jay asked, although he already had a pretty good idea.

'I'm saying someone's been here before us, and more importantly they've been in the lab.' They all looked at each other, unable to say anything, worry etched on their faces. Darryl looked like the world was about to end all over again. It was Jay who finally spoke up.

'We don't know that they came for the virus,' he said, none too confidently. 'Either way, we still have to go to the lab.'

Lex looked at him like he was crazy. 'Without the suits? Are you serious? That's suicide! I caught the first virus and believe me that was bad enough. There's no way I'm going in there to get the second one.'

'We might not have to go in,' Slade said. 'I mean, if the virus isn't there anymore…'

'Then we're in even worse trouble!' finished Lex.

'Slade's right,' Jay admitted. 'If someone's taken the virus already then there's not a lot we can do about it, but we'll never know if we don't go and have a look for ourselves. All we're doing standing around here arguing is wasting time.' The others murmured their agreement, although Darryl did so reluctantly.

'You heard the man,' Slade told the other two. 'Let's go.' The four of them left the storeroom and turned the corner, heading towards where the lab was. As soon as they came in sight of the small window in one of the walls that looked into the secret lab, they all knew that something was wrong. Two figures in white protective suits could be seen moving about inside and Jay was willing to bet that there were another two in there that he couldn't see, since Slade had remembered seeing four suits in the storeroom.

'Let's get out of here before they see us!' Darryl hissed, panicking.

'Will you get a grip?!' Lex said harshly, although his eyes showed that he too was afraid.

'It's too late anyway,' Jay said, inclining his head towards the window. 'We've been spotted.' One of the figures on the other side of the door had tapped the other on the shoulder and pointed at the four Mallrats, before another two suited forms, just as Jay had thought, moved into view and all four of them stopped what they were doing and hastened to the door. The Mallrats stood their ground, with Lex and Slade in front. One of the four figures – the largest and presumably the leader – stepped forward. Jay thought it was the one who had been tapped on the shoulder. The figure removed its mask, and Jay could see it was a man. He had a hard face and short, curly blond hair, but what made Jay gasp was the small black 'T' surrounded by a red circle in the middle of his forehead. He was not the only one who had seen.

'So much for the end of the Technos,' Lex noted.


	13. The Cable Guy

Jay couldn't believe it. The Technos were still in the city. Anger suddenly started to bubble up inside of him; had they not caused enough trouble already? He felt a hand on his arm and turned to see Darryl giving him a warning look. Jay nodded in response and managed to restrain himself. Lex, however, was not as successful.

'You guys just hang around like a bad smell don't you?' he sneered at the hard-faced blond, still the only one of the four to have taken off his headgear.

'Get out of here!' the Techno ordered them, ignoring Lex's jibe. 'This place isn't safe, and there is nothing to loot; nothing you Virts could use anyway.'

'You must be confusing us with some other 'Virts,' Slade said. 'We're not looters, we're the Mallrats, and we're here to clean up the mess your master started.'

The Techno gave a laugh as if Slade had said something unintentionally funny. 'That won't be necessary,' he said. 'As you can see we have everything under control.'

Jay couldn't take any more of the man's rudeness and before he knew it he was pushing himself in front of Lex and Slade, bringing him face to face with the Techno. 'Don't you think you've done enough?' he spluttered angrily.

The blond-haired man sneered at Jay and was about to say something when there was a stir behind him. The figure who had alerted him to the Mallrats' presence now removed its mask, revealing a dark-skinned young woman with short, dark red, corn row braids that clung to her scalp. 'Jay?' she said. 'Cable, it's Jay!'

'I know who it is!' the blond-haired Techno snapped.

'Spinner?' Jay said, recognising the woman. 'Is that you?' He couldn't believe it, could it really be her?

'You remembered,' she smiled, blushing slightly. Jay felt his cheeks burning too. How could he forget? She cleared her throat before getting back to the matter at hand. 'It's alright Jay, we're here to help,' she said, then looked towards Cable. He nodded as if to give permission for her to divulge this information, and at the same time the other two figures removed their protective headgear to reveal a man with messy, shoulder-length black hair, and a woman with short, blonde spiky hair. 'This is Link,' Spinner said with a gesture towards the woman. 'And this is Tag.' The black-haired man nodded when she said his name. 'The four of us have gathered together the remnants of our tribe, to try and salvage something.'

'Why bother?' Lex sneered. 'The city can do without your sort.'

Jay nodded. 'The last I heard, you were one of Mega's proteges, Spinner,' he said quietly.

'I was part of his team, yes,' she said, sticking her chin up defensively and looking a little hurt. 'But I was working _for_ him, Jay, not with him. As far as I knew, this was a pharmacy.' She gestured towards the lab and Lex smirked. 'Besides,' she said with a self-satisfied smile. 'Who do you think fixed it so that Mega couldn't access the lab?'

The Mallrats looked at each other. 'That was Ram!' Lex said, frustrated. 'Tell her Jay!'

Spinner looked at Jay, still smiling to herself, and he swallowed before answering. 'Well,' he started. 'We don't know for sure that it was Ram. We just assumed.' Lex shook his head in disbelief, shooting a look of utter disgust first at Jay, then at the Technos.

'Contrary to popular belief,' Cable said, matching Lex's glare. 'Most of us Technos actually wanted to make the world a better place. Of course most of us never reached positions of power, and those that did abandoned us.' He shot Jay a contemptuous look. 'Leaving Ram and Mega to do what they liked.'

'That's not fair! It wasn't like that!' Jay said defensively. 'If I'd stayed it would only have put me in danger, and what use could I have been to anybody then? I did what I could.'

'It all turned out hunky-dory for you though, didn't it? Shacked up in the mall while we were stuck in here.'

'But that's over now,' Link pointed out. 'Ram and Mega are gone. We could really use you on our team, Jay.' Cable ground his teeth angrily, making no secret of how he felt about what Link had just said, but surprisingly he didn't say anything against it. 'Most of the Technos have fled the city,' she continued. 'And some became so disillusioned with what they stood for that they've run off to join the Ecos. If you were with us, I'm sure they'd come back.'

He didn't know what to think, let alone say. A new Techno tribe, working this time in the city's best interests, and they wanted him to join them.

'Jay, you're not seriously considering this are you?' Lex asked, disgusted.

'He'll never come back,' spat Cable. All the same, everyone looked at Jay, waiting for his answer.

'Go on Jay, tell them,' Darryl pleaded. 'Tell them you're staying with us.'

He sighed heavily, coming to a decision. 'I guess Cable's right,' he said. Cable gave a satisfied smile, but Spinner looked away sadly. 'I'm sorry Spinner,' he said. 'I just can't do it. I'm with the Mallrats now. I _am_ a Mallrat.' As the four Technos looked at him he suddenly became more aware of the uniform he was wearing. It felt tighter than usual, and the 'T' on his forehead seemed to burn.

'You can't have it both ways, Jay.' Spinner told him. 'There are going to be a lot of changes in this tribe. If you're going to stay with the Mallrats that's fine, but you won't have any authority here anymore, you have to know that.'

'I understand,' he said. 'And I've made my decision. I really hope you succeed where we failed.' Spinner smiled and Tag nodded thoughtfully. Now that Jay had made his position clear, Cable seemed willing to open up a bit more about the four's plans for the reformed Technos, although he clearly still disliked him.

'We're in the process of neutralising the virus,' he said. 'Spinner and Link are making good progress working out what's in the blasted thing.'

'You guys managed to dilute it a bit with the sprinklers,' Spinner explained. 'But we can hopefully make it completely harmless.'

'The main thing was just to stop it from getting out,' Slade said. 'We came back to finish the job.'

'Well as you can see we've got everything under control now,' Cable reminded him. 'You might as well go back home.'

'We haven't finished what we came here to do yet,' said Slade. 'There are a couple of bodies in the control room we need to recover.'

'Ram and Mega?' asked Link. 'So that was you? Good job. Let them rot, I say.'

'No! Ram died saving one of us, and Mega was my brother.' The Technos raised their eyebrows in unison at Slade's statement but otherwise showed no sign of surprise. 'They deserve a proper burial,' he continued. 'Can we take some things from your store to carry them?'

Cable shrugged. 'Take what you like, we're relocating to the power station anyway,' he said. 'We're going back to what the Technos should have been about in the first place, providing power.'

Jay was impressed, although his companions appeared to be a little more wary. Part of him was still itching to help these four people to lead the Technos in a new direction – after all, their aims were what he had originally joined the tribe for – but he had made his decision, and despite feeling as if he had lost a part of himself he was happy with it. Spinner was right, though. If he could have had it both ways he would have jumped at the chance. She had always been able to see right through him. How long had it been since he had left the Technos? And he was still wearing their uniform. Amber and Ebony had questioned him about it several times in private, but there had always been excuses; liaising with Mega, giving orders to other Technos when the city was at risk from the Zootists. He could hardly be taken seriously without it, could he? Deep down, though, he knew that he had wanted to keep the link with his former tribe alive as a safety net. Being a Techno was all he had ever known since the virus, at least until he came to the city. They had helped him through the deaths of his parents and given him hope for the future of this new world. They had been a huge and important part of his life, but perhaps it was finally time for him to cut his ties and move on. The Technos didn't need him anymore, and he trusted Spinner, if not the other three, to turn the tribe around for the better. He had responsibilities to the Mallrats now, and he had made a commitment to Amber. Surely ditching his uniform would help her to trust him as well.

Slade thanked Cable and took Darryl into the storeroom to fetch whatever it was he wanted, leaving Jay with Lex and the Technos, but not for long. 'If you'll excuse us,' Cable said. 'We have some unfinished business to attend to.' He put his protective headgear back on and went into the lab, motioning for the other three to follow him. Link and Tag entered after him, but when Spinner turned to leave Jay stopped her.

'Spinner, wait!' he called.

'What is it?' she asked, walking over to him and Lex. Even in the bulky suit she was wearing her hips moved enticingly.

'I wanted to ask you a favour.' He thought for a moment she looked disappointed, then she was all smiles again.

'I can't promise anything,' she said. 'But go on, ask away.'

'You worked on the Paradise programme didn't you?'

Spinner giggled and her eyes sparkled mischievously. 'You kept tabs on me? How sweet! Yes, I did have a role in that project, working for your brother as it happens.' Jay's face fell at the mention of Ved. 'I'm sorry Jay, I wasn't thinking. Have you heard anything about him?' She looked mortified at having brought up the subject.

'Nothing,' he sighed. 'And now the only two people who might have been able to tell me something are dead.' Lex shifted uneasily on his feet and Jay guessed that he was thinking about Tai San. There was an awkward silence before Spinner continued. 'As I was saying,' she began after clearing her throat. 'I was working for Ved, as part of the team designing the neural interface.' Lex's eyes glazed over. 'The headsets,' she clarified, and a look of recognition appeared on his face. 'Anyway, before you say anything I'm not proud of it, but I didn't have any choice.'

'There's always a choice,' Lex said.

She shook her head. 'Ram already knew how good I was, and I would have been deleted if I'd refused.' She winced when she realised what she had said and thoughts of Ved flashed through Jay's mind once more. 'You still haven't asked me that favour,' she said, trying to change the subject.

'I'm getting there,' he told her, but not unkindly. 'I don't know how much you know about what happened yesterday, but Ram created some sort of artificial intelligence programme and gave it control of the whole network, including the lab although he didn't know it existed at that point. Something went wrong with the programme and it decided to finish what Mega started.'

Spinner's eyes widened with every word. 'Wow. That kind of technology, it certainly explains a lot, but why are you telling me this?'

'A good friend of mine, Jack, was the one who disabled the programme and turned on the sprinklers from inside the system.' He looked at Lex for confirmation and got a nod in reply.

'Inside!?' Spinner cried. 'The human brain was never meant to handle that kind of interaction! How is he?'

'That's just it, we don't know. He seems to be in some sort of coma. I was hoping…maybe you could have a look at him?'

'What?!' Lex spluttered, but both Jay and Spinner ignored him.

She thought for a long while before answering. 'I'd have to clear it with Cable first, you understand?' Jay nodded. 'I'm sure he'll agree, I mean it's the least we can do after he saved the city, but don't get your hopes up Jay. This is way out of my league, I don't know half as much about this sort of thing as Ram did.'

'If anyone can do it,' he said. 'You can.' They shared a lingering look before she zipped up her biohazard suit and turned back towards the lab.

'I'll meet you at the mall when I've sorted things with Cable,' she called back as she left, the suit's hood muffling her voice. Jay was now left alone with Lex in the corridor.

'If you're done picking your jaw up from the floor?'

Jay closed his mouth. 'Don't be silly Lex.'

'Just so you know, I don't trust any of them, especially her!'

'Now why doesn't that surprise me,' Jay sighed. Lex was probably jealous because Spinner hadn't taken any interest in him.

'Alright guys,' Slade said as he and Darryl emerged from the storeroom. 'Sorry it took so long but we're ready to go now.' Each of them carried a stretcher in one hand and a roll of blankets in the other. 'What's wrong?' he added, noticing the look on Lex's face. 'Have you two fallen out already?' he joked.

'Jay here has invited his Techno girlfriend to do her experiments on Jack!'

'What?' Darryl said, confused. 'Is this true Jay?'

'Of course it isn't true! She's just going to check him out, you know, give her professional opinion. She knows her stuff.'

'And he believed her!' Lex added.

'Of course I believe her! Anyway, I was only trying to help. I didn't expect a reaction like this.'

'Ah, so you were trying to play the hero were you?'

'That's not helping, Lex,' Slade said. 'Although I wish you would have consulted us before asking her, Jay.'

'She was going back inside the lab,' he replied, irritated. 'If I'd waited for you and Darryl we wouldn't have been able to follow.' Slade still looked unconvinced.

'Ellie should decide,' Darryl suddenly said, causing everybody to look at him. 'Well she is his girlfriend. If she doesn't agree then we forget it.'

'That sounds fair enough,' Jay conceded. Slade nodded in agreement and Lex shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

'Right then,' said Slade. 'Now that we've got that sorted, we can finish what we came here to do.' He hoisted the stretcher he was carrying onto his shoulder and marched purposefully down the corridor, leaving the others with no choice but to follow.


	14. Burying The Past

Slade led the way from the lab to the control room, which Jay imagined was pretty much how it had been left the day before. The door to the room had been broken off its hinges and now lay flat on the wet floor, and the monitors on the far wall occasionally crackled and sparked. Mega's lifeless form was sitting at one of the now useless computers, while Ram's lay sprawled out on the floor against a desk. Feeling the bile rising in his throat he had to look away from the ugly wound on the back of Ram's head, before he started retching. Looking quickly around the room he saw that Lex and Darryl were keeping their eyes firmly fixed on the floor as much as they could, but Slade had all of his attention focussed on his brother. He gently propped his body upright in the chair before proceeding to wipe the water from his glasses. Not wishing to intrude on this moment further, Jay went over to where Darryl was now trying to cover Ram with the blankets. The two of them managed to wrap him up in the makeshift shroud, then transferred him to one of the stretchers. Jay had become used to seeing dead bodies during the Virus, but never anyone his own age. He had to stop himself from leaving a gap in the blankets so that Ram could breathe, knowing it wasn't necessary anymore. When Lex had finished helping Slade move Mega the four of them silently carried the stretchers out of the wreckage of the hotel and into the still deserted city streets. Slade was visibly upset and at first nobody dared to say anything as the sombre procession made its way through the forest of empty buildings, for fear of breaking the mood.

Progressing further through the city, Jay once again caught sight of the body of the woman who had been caught in the crowds, that they had passed on the way to the hotel. Looking at the bundle that was Ram laid out on the stretcher in front of him, then back to the woman, he knew what he had to do. It wasn't right that she should be left out there in such an undignified way.

'Wait a minute,' he said, breaking the silence as Slade and Lex walked past the body. 'We can't just leave her here, we should bring her too. We still have some sheets left over, and Darryl and I can manage the extra weight.' Slade nodded tiredly and stopped, and Jay and Darryl immediately put down their stretcher and went over to the woman. She had been pretty, with pale, unblemished skin and medium-length bleached blonde hair. She was wearing a bright pink sleeveless top, with a blue denim skirt and silver knee-high boots. Jay found himself frowning as he turned her over.

'What's wrong?' Darryl asked. 'Do you recognise her?'

'No,' he replied. 'It's just that I assumed she'd been caught in the crowds during the evacuation, but there isn't a scratch on her.'

'So she just collapsed and died on the street?' Lex and Slade had by this time put down the second stretcher and were coming over to see what all the fuss was about. 'You don't think it could have been the virus do you?' Darryl finished, taking a step back straight into Lex.

'The virus didn't get out, Darryl,' Lex said scornfully before roughly pushing him away.

'Well then how did she die?' Darryl replied defensively as he brushed himself off.

'I don't know,' Jay said. 'Wait. What's this?' He had noticed a small mark on her right arm, where something had punctured the skin. Lex and Slade peered over it, but Darryl remained behind everyone else, still afraid of the virus.

'Do you think she took an overdose of something?' Slade asked him. He shrugged his shoulders in reply.

'I didn't think there was anything like that around anymore, but I suppose there could have been some hidden somewhere.' Stashes from before the Virus were always turning up, although usually it was something like money or personal items that didn't serve much purpose in this world. 'I guess we'll never know.'

'We'd better get a move on before the others start to get worried,' Slade said, although with little feeling. 'And we'll want to get back before your friend arrives as well. There's a grassy area just up ahead, Hope Park. I thought it would be as good a place as any to bury the bodies. We can hold a ceremony back at the mall so that everyone can say goodbye if they want to.'

Lex laughed. 'Well I don't think there'll be many there, unless there's food available. I'm certainly not going. They deserved everything they got.'

'Now's not the time Lex,' Jay chided. 'But I don't think I'll be there either, Slade. I didn't get on with either of them, it just wouldn't mean anything.' Slade turned to Darryl, who looked uncomfortable then shook his head.

'Sorry Slade,' he said. Slade just nodded.

Jay turned back to the woman on the ground. 'Do you think she would want to be buried next to Ram and Mega?' he asked. 'Couldn't we take her somewhere else?' He began to lift her up, to place a blanket underneath her, and as he did so something fell to the ground. Darryl picked it up and looked at it, his eyebrows rising as he handed it over to Jay.

'I don't think that will be a problem,' he said as Jay took the object. It was a small laminated identity card, with a picture of the head and shoulders of a female Techno with blonde hair. Her appearance had changed since she had left the tribe, but the dead girl was still recognisable as the Techno in the picture. Above the face was the name 'Elsa'.

'She was a Techno,' he said out loud. 'Must have been one of the ones that Link mentioned, that became civilians.' He slipped the identity card behind his belt and then motioned for Darryl to help him lift Elsa onto the stretcher with Ram. Once she was in place the four Mallrats lifted up their loads and made their way to the park. A wooden board fixed to the park gate stated that 'Hope Park, an island of peaceful greenery in a bustling metropolis, has won the council's award for the city's Best Kept Recreation Area for the last three years. May all who pass through these gates find an escape from life's struggles,' before listing various dos and don'ts. Jay thought that the sentiment was ideal for what they had come here to do, it was just a shame that the scene depicted in the graffiti-stained picture on the sign, of a perfectly landscaped park with children happily playing on the swings and roundabouts, was no longer what stood before them. The grass was overgrown and the equipment had either been vandalised or had started to rust, or indeed both. Slade and Lex put down Mega, before Slade went straight over to the park-keeper's hut. He easily snapped the rusty chain and went inside, emerging with a number of shovels. Without saying a word, he handed a shovel to each of the other three and took hold of the stretcher once more, compelling the others to follow as he set off past the children's play area to an area of open grass, that had probably been used before the Virus for ball games. Once again leaving Lex with his brother, he wandered around the field, as if looking for the right spot. Finally he stopped by a tree and stuck his shovel into the ground.

'This'll do,' he said. He started digging and was immediately joined by Lex. Jay and Darryl put down the other stretcher and followed suit. Nobody said a word as they dug the graves or even when they buried the bodies. Soon they found themselves standing over three mounds of earth, each with a crude cross and name plate on the head. So that the graves would not be disturbed in future by any of Mega or Ram's many enemies, the names above their graves read Josh and Gabe, a name Slade said Ram had used in Liberty. Jay, Lex and Darryl gave Slade a few minutes alone at his brother's grave before they all started to head back to the mall, taking the empty stretchers with them. Slade seemed a lot happier now that Mega had been buried, and it wasn't long before he asked Jay the question he had been dreading since they left the hotel.

'So Jay, you seem to know and trust this Spinner chick. What's the story with you and her?' As Jay turned his head to answer, he saw Lex smirking behind Slade.

'There's no story. I knew her before the invasion that's all. Why does this even matter?'

'It matters because we're trusting her with Jack and you're the only one who knows anything about her. And if this ends up affecting Amber, then it matters to the whole tribe. Her mood is upsetting everybody at the moment and nobody wants to see it get worse.'

'This isn't going to affect Amber in any way,' he said angrily. 'Just what are you accusing me of here Slade? Why don't you get it off your chest?'

'You fancy the pants off that Techno bird,' Lex said unhelpfully. 'What?' he added, as everyone turned to look at him. 'It's true!'

'All I'm saying,' Slade continued, ignoring Lex's comment. 'Is that you two obviously had some chemistry back at the hotel, and I don't want Amber getting hurt when she needs you the most.'

Jay sighed, giving up. He was going to have to tell Slade the truth. 'Alright then. If you must know then yes, Spinner and I used to be together.'

'Aha!' Lex cried.

'But,' he emphasised the word. 'This was years before the Technos came to the city. Ram didn't like relationships between co-workers so when he found out he split us up, assigning Spinner to a different group. He made sure I never saw her again, although I kept my ear to the ground, trying to keep track of where she was working. I was surprised when I heard she was on the invasion team. She definitely had the ability, I just didn't think Ram would put us in a situation where we might see each other. I thought maybe he'd forgotten, but when he took over the hotel I found that whatever I was doing she always seemed to be on the other side of the building. So I moved on. Then I met Ebony and the rest is history. Anyway, just before I left the Technos somebody told me that Spinner had been moved to Mega's team. I was glad she was going to be in safe hands, at least as far as I knew. When I saw her again today after so long I was shocked, that's all. Obviously there were still some feelings there, I mean we never properly broke up did we? But I'm in love with Amber now, really in love with her, and there's no way I'm going to leave her, especially now. Spinner and I are history, end of story.'

'Glad to hear it,' Slade said, patting him on the back. Only Lex looked unconvinced.

Jay's spirits lifted on the journey back to the mall. Everything seemed to be going right; Ram and Mega had been buried and the virus was being neutralised. Soon the people would return to the city and a line could be drawn under the events of the previous day. The city could have a new start. As well as that, the Technos were finally becoming a force for good, although he no longer had a say in their actions. In spite of that he found that he didn't mind as long as they managed to achieve the ambitious goals set out by Cable and were accepted by the people, the latter part being the hardest. What made him smile most though was that he had seen Spinner again after all this time, and it seemed that Slade and Darryl at least had accepted her. He hoped that, with time, they would be able to repair the damage caused to their friendship by their forced separation. What would really top the day off now would be for her to be able to cure Jack and, in his current mood, he thought that anything was possible.

He was slightly disappointed when the four of them arrived back at the mall, as in the time it had taken them to bury the bodies he had expected Spinner to be there waiting for them. A Techno in the mall would surely have brought everyone out but most people appeared to be in their rooms, and the few in the main courtyard looked perfectly at ease, so he concluded that she hadn't arrived yet. He frowned and wondered if Cable had decided not to let Spinner come to the mall after all. He turned his attention back to the room, where Gel and Trudy were lounging on the floor, resting on one hand while poring over pieces of paper that were strewn in an untidy semicircle around them. Occasionally Trudy looked over at Brady to make sure she was alright. The little girl was being chased around the fountain by Bonnie and by the look of it was thoroughly enjoying herself. Every now and then Bonnie would change direction and surprise Brady, who would scream and then burst into a fit of the giggles before the chase continued again. The first to notice the newcomers was Trudy who stood up, dusted herself off and came to greet them, leaving Gel working on what Jay realised must be the designs for Bonnie's new outfit. By the amount of paper scattered about the place it looked like she was really serious about the whole thing.

'Welcome back!' Trudy smiled. 'How did it go?'

'We did what we set out to do,' Slade told her. 'Jay's probably the best one to explain everything. I've got some things I need to sort out and I should probably let Ebony know I'm back, so if it's ok with everyone I'll leave you guys to it.' He propped the stretcher he had been carrying up against the wall and headed upstairs to the room he shared with Ebony.

'I'd better go and find somewhere to put these,' Darryl said, taking Slade's stretcher to add to his own before crossing the courtyard and disappearing around the corner. Lex, as ever, hung around like a bad smell. No doubt he was eager to tell Trudy how Jay had betrayed the Mallrats by inviting their sworn enemies to their home, or something equally as dramatic. He had to explain before Lex got a chance to say anything.

'You'd better get those two out of the way,' Lex said, nodding towards Brady and Bonnie. 'The Technos are on their way.' It was too late, although Lex did have the advantage of never having to think before he spoke.

'What are you talking about Lex? The Technos are gone.' Trudy's words were scornful but she looked shaken.

'It's ok Trudy, they're on our side now. Mega's followers fled the city during the evacuation. The ones we met in the city today, they're good people. They've been using their skills to make the virus safe, and they're going to man the power station as well. I asked one of them to come over to see if she could do anything for Jack, but she's an old friend and I trust her.'

'You trusted Ram and Mega at one point, too.'

'This is different. We both joined the Technos at about the same time, and for the same reason. We shared the same dream of a better world.'

'I don't know, Jay. I just can't trust anybody anymore. It sounds wonderful, it really does, but after what Mega did to me…'

'I understand,' he said. 'But everything's going to be fine. I'll be there watching over things, and if Ellie doesn't agree to it then we'll call the whole thing off. This is if she even turns up at all. I thought she'd be here by now.' He didn't think he would ever be able to convince Trudy, but he hoped that he had at least reassured her a little bit.

'I guess we'll just have to see how it goes,' she said.

'Trudy?'

'Yes?'

'I wanted to thank you for the breakfast this morning.'

She smiled. 'It's ok. I thought you and Amber could do with something special. At least you enjoyed yours.'

'Did Amber not eat anything?' She shook her head.

'It's not just that either. We took Bray in to see her and she wouldn't take him. Sal's been looking after him all day.' She threw her hands up in frustration that she was unable to do anything for her friend and Jay suddenly felt sorry for her, looking so helpless.

'And what about you? Are you okay?'

'Me? I'm fine, thanks to Gel.' She lowered her voice to a whisper. 'You know, I never thought I'd say this but if it wasn't for her I think I'd go insane! I know it sounds selfish but everyone else is either too busy or has their own problems. It's nice to have some fun for a change. Bonnie's outfit's coming along really well, it'll be ready in no time!'

Jay laughed. 'I could do with something new myself,' he said, then winced and looked over at Gel, whose head had shot up as soon as the words left his mouth, a huge grin on her face.

'I'm sure we can handle that,' she said. 'It won't take long, and…'

'There's no need really, it was just a thought that's all.'

'Oh no, you can't get out of it that easily Jay! My head's already full of ideas for you. This is going to be so much fun, isn't it Trudy?' Trudy hid a smile behind her hand but Lex was not so discreet and had to hold his sides to contain his laughter. Gel got up and stepped carefully over her papers, wielding a couple of tape measures that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. 'Here you go Trudy,' she said handing one over. 'No need for me to have all the fun. Now Jay, if you just lift your arms like…that's it, now hold still.' Despite his protestations he soon found himself being manhandled by the two girls, while Lex stood by looking highly amused. If Trudy felt uncomfortable after their brief relationship she wasn't showing it – perhaps she even thought that she was getting her own back – and he was sure Gel kept forgetting his measurements on purpose so she could take them again. Just when he thought things couldn't get more embarrassing he heard a cough behind him and turned his head to see Spinner standing at the open grille, with one eyebrow raised. He immediately turned bright red. He had his arms outstretched with Trudy's hands around his waist, and Gel's…well, she was on her knees measuring his inside leg for the third time but what it must have looked like to Spinner he could only imagine.

'Is this a bad time?' was all she said.


	15. Diagnosis Murder

Jay froze, mouth working as he desperately tried to find the words to explain to Spinner why Trudy and Gel had their arms around him.

'I'm obviously interrupting…something,' she said. 'Maybe I should just go.'

As she turned to leave, her body moving even more gracefully now that she was no longer encumbered with the biohazard suit, he finally managed to wriggle free and rushed over towards her. 'No, no!' he blurted out. 'This is a perfect time!' Leading her back to the rest of the group he saw that Trudy looked mortified, whereas Gel was calmly putting her tape measures away. Apparently she hadn't quite grasped the situation, or perhaps she had and just didn't care. It could be hard to tell the difference when it came to Gel. Lex, meanwhile, had stopped laughing at Jay's misfortune long enough to scowl at Spinner, who wasn't paying him any attention at all.

'Um, Spinner this is Trudy and Gel. You've already met Lex. Gel, Trudy, this is Spinner, an old friend of mine.'

'Less of the old, thank you!' she joked. 'Although I suppose in this day and age…anyway, I'm sorry I'm late.'

'I thought maybe you weren't coming.'

'It was touch and go with Cable for a while. He took a lot more convincing than I thought, and then I got distracted by my work, you know how it is. Or was, rather. We've made a lot of progress; I reckon the virus will be safe by the time I get back.'

'That's great news!'

'Yeah, it is. But that's not why I'm here, is it? Where's the patient?' She held up a large chrome-coloured box that he hadn't noticed at first, that obviously contained whatever instruments and equipment she needed to examine Jack.

'He's upstairs,' he answered. 'Just follow me and I'll take you to him. I'll have to run the idea past his girlfriend first though.'

Spinner rolled her eyes. 'Now you tell me. You know, Cable won't be very impressed if I've come all the way out here for nothing, Jay.'

'I know. I'm sorry, I guess I just hadn't thought everything through when I asked you.'

'Relax Jay, I understand.'

He began to climb the stairs, followed by Spinner and Lex.

'Gel, can you watch the kids for a bit?' Trudy asked before joining them. Gel nodded, squealing when she turned around to find Brady and Bonnie throwing her sketches up in the air and dancing around underneath the falling paper.

When he reached the top of the stairs, Jay went straight to Jack's room and stuck his head through the thin curtain. Ellie sat by Jack's bed holding his hand and running her fingers through his mousy brown hair. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

'Ellie?' Jay said quietly.

'Huh? Oh, it's you Jay. Come on in.' He entered the room, followed by the other three. Trudy immediately went over to Ellie and put her arm around her. 'Hey Trudy. Still no change.' She sighed and received a squeeze and a sympathetic smile from the other girl.

'Just give it time, honey,' Trudy said confidently.

Ellie looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time, a look of confusion on her face when she saw the Techno woman. Jay thought he had better introduce them.

'Ellie this is Spinner,' he said. 'She's a Techno, a friend of mine. I asked her here because I thought she might be able to help Jack.' Ellie's eyes suddenly lit up and Jay prayed he was not giving her false hope. 'She's agreed to have a look at him, if that's alright with you?'

She nodded her head vigorously. 'Anything! I just want him back!' Jay nodded to Spinner and she stepped forward, putting her case on top of the table by Jack's bedside.

'Can I have everyone out of the room please?' she asked. 'I work better alone.'

'There's no way we're leaving you alone with Jack and whatever you've got in that box!' Lex shouted.

'I can't leave him!' Ellie cried. 'Please! I'll be quiet, you won't know I'm here!'

Spinner looked mildly irritated but after giving it some thought she pointed at Jay and Ellie. 'You two can stay,' she conceded. 'But keep out of the way; I'll need to be able to concentrate. You two, out.' She dismissed Lex and Trudy with a wave of her hand. They looked annoyed but decided there was nothing they could do about it and left the room, Trudy giving Ellie a hug on her way out.

'I hope you know what you're doing.' Lex whispered angrily to Jay before he left.

'Thank you!' Ellie gushed as soon as the other two were gone.

'Don't thank me yet,' Spinner said. 'I can't promise I'll be able to do anything for him.'

'That's ok, I know you'll do your best.'

'I wish everyone else felt that way.' She flicked open the clasps on the case and opened it, revealing a laptop computer and various accessories, each neatly inhabiting its own space cut into the box's foamy interior. From one of these spaces she took out a headset that was wired to the computer. Ellie gasped in terror.

'What are you doing?' she asked nervously.

'This is so I can see what's going on in his head,' Spinner replied calmly. 'He won't feel a thing.'

Ellie looked to Jay. 'It's your decision,' he told her. Hesitantly she nodded her head and Spinner hooked Jack up to the headset. Switching the computer on she logged in and started up the programme she needed. Jay stepped forward so that he could get a better look at what was going on, and he saw an image of a brain appear on the screen. A push of a button and the image moved to the right, a set of axes for a graph appearing alongside it. A box flashed in the centre of the screen with the word 'ACTIVATE?' inside it. After checking that all the wires were connected properly, Spinner pressed another key and the programme burst into life. The lights on the headset flashed; three coloured lines appeared on the graph, rising and falling all the time, and the image of the brain rotated showing red blobs flashing in various places. Jay realised Ellie was clinging to him and put an arm around her, while Spinner calmly punched away at the keyboard.

'What's happening?' he heard Ellie whisper. 'What's she doing to him?'

'I'm not sure,' he whispered back. 'But it looks to me like she's monitoring the activity in his brain.'

Spinner raised a hand to silence them, although she did not take her eyes away from the screen. 'Be quiet back there,' she said. 'I need to focus on this!' She clicked on the image and it enlarged, so that she was looking at an area of Jack's brain in which there seemed to be very few red blobs. She stood there in silence, peering intently at the screen as if she were searching for something deep inside the image. Ellie and Jay looked at each other but didn't dare say anything just in case they distracted her and she missed whatever it was she was looking for. Finally she switched off the computer, causing the lights on the headset to go out at the same time. She rubbed her eyes and turned around to face the two Mallrats.

'What's wrong with him?' Ellie asked. 'Did you do anything? Is he going to be okay?'

'I've been looking at what's going on in his brain,' Spinner replied. 'And I'm satisfied that his condition is stable.' She removed the headset from Jack and placed it carefully back inside its compartment before calmly continuing. 'As things stand I would say there is only a twenty percent chance of recovery.' she said. Ellie burst into tears and looked like she was about to run for the door. 'However,' she continued, stopping Ellie in her tracks. 'With your help I believe that this figure can be significantly increased.'

'Stop playing games with me!' Ellie snapped. 'Just tell me what I have to do to get him back!'

'It's not going to be easy for you. It could take a while for him to fully recovery, if he ever does.'

'Listen lady, we have been through so much together and Jack has never given up on me. I'm not just going to ditch him now, as soon as the tables are turned and he's the one who needs me. Now are you going to stand there and keep beating around the bush or are you actually going to help him?'

'Ellie!' Jay whispered, but Spinner seemed amused.

'That's the spirit,' she said. 'I don't know how he puts up with you but you've certainly got the determination to pull this off. One thing, though; if you want my help you're going to have to show me some respect, got it?'

Ellie folded her arms and stared back at Spinner defiantly, but eventually relented with a roll of her eyes and the barest of nods. 'I'm sorry,' she mumbled reluctantly.

'Well, I guess that's the best I'm going to get. Now, back to your little problem.' Jay could see that Ellie wasn't happy with Spinner referring to Jack as her little problem, but she wisely held her tongue, which impressed him. 'I believe,' Spinner continued. 'Although I can't be sure, that Jack here is perfectly healthy, apart from the area of his brain controlling movement. It seems that when he integrated with the computer's systems he went too far and something, I don't know…shifted, I guess, in his brain, essentially blocking off the signals to the rest of his body. I did notice some very faint signals getting through, however, so there's still hope.'

'What exactly are you saying?'

'I'm saying he's not unconscious as such, merely paralysed.'

'Big deal! What difference does that make?'

'I think what Spinner's trying to say,' said Jay. 'Is that Jack is still aware of everything that's going on around him. He should be able to hear everything we're saying, even if he can't feel anything.'

'That's right, and if you and Jack work together there's a fair chance he'll be able to regain control of that part of his brain.'

'I'm listening,' Ellie said.

'Good, and you listen too, Jack. Now Ellie, I want you to do exercises with him every day, moving his arms and legs, that kind of thing. Make sure you tell him where you are touching and what you are doing exactly as you do it. Jack, when Ellie tells you what she is doing I want you to try and do the same. I can't make any guarantees but hopefully that will help re-establish the connection between brain and body.'

'Isn't there a more hi-tech way of helping him? I mean, computers did this to him, surely they can fix him too?'

'There's the possibility of using electrical pulses to artificially stimulate the dysfunctional part of his brain, but it's risky and could do more harm than good. Besides, with the power still out I don't have enough battery power to be able to do that. Maybe in a couple of days, but one thing I've learned in the last two days is that technology can't solve everything. I think the old fashioned way will be safer and more reliable in the long run, even though it will take longer and involve a lot of hard work, especially for Jack.'

'We can do it,' Ellie said, resuming her position by Jack's bedside and putting a hand on his shoulder. 'Thank you.'

While Ellie started working with Jack on his exercises, Jay took Spinner to one side so as not to disturb them. 'There's something I've been wanting to ask you,' he said quietly.

'Really?' Spinner said, giving a suggestive smile. Her eyes twinkled mischievously causing Jay to temporarily forget what he was going to say.

'Um…have you…have you heard of a Techno called Elsa?' he asked, wiping sweat from his brow.

'It is rather warm in here, isn't it?' she said, unzipping her uniform a little. 'Here, let me help you with yours. These zips always have a habit of sticking, don't they?' Despite his stammered protests that it wasn't necessary she did the same with his uniform, her hand lingering a while on his chest.

'There, isn't that better?' she said.

'Ah, no…not really. Do…do you know her?'

Spinner pouted. 'She must be very special for you to be so interested in her.'

'She's dead.'

'Oh.' Spinner's voice became more serious and spots of colour appeared on her cheeks. 'The name does sound familiar,' she admitted. 'But I couldn't put a face to the name.'

Jay pulled Elsa's identity card out from behind his belt and handed it to Spinner. 'You don't have to. Do you recognise her?'

Spinner frowned. 'No, but I can scan this on the computer and see what it tells us.' She took a small handheld gadget out of her case and pushed the card into a slot in one side of the machine. It beeped and a file appeared on the computer screen which Spinner read through with interest. 'Aha!' she said finally. 'That's why her name sounded so familiar. She was one of a group of Technos that went missing towards the end of Ram's leadership. Officially they ran away because they couldn't hack it in the tribe, but the truth is we have no idea what happened or where they went. The strange thing was that from what I've heard none of them really knew each other, and their friends claimed to know nothing about what happened, although that was hardly surprising. I didn't take it any further though. I knew better than to pry into things like that.'

'And nobody ever heard anything about them after that?'

Spinner laughed. 'Even if they ran away, did you ever look a Virt in the eye on patrols? Well, maybe _you_ did, but the average Techno wouldn't. If they were in Virt clothing they could have done Riverdance in front of one of us and still not have been noticed.'

'I suppose so.'

'How did she die?'

'I'm not sure. There was a mark just here on her right arm where it looked like she'd been injecting herself with something.' He indicated the location of the mark on his own arm. 'But it doesn't mean that's what she died of.'

Spinner frowned and checked the file again. 'Actually, I think that was very likely the cause of death. She was right-handed, so she would have injected into her left arm. It looks like she was murdered.'


	16. Trust

_Note: Thank you for all the nice reviews! I'm glad people like the story._

Jay stood speechless, trying to take in what Spinner had just said. Elsa was murdered? Why would somebody do that during the evacuation? Spinner herself seemed unfazed by the situation, taking the identity card out of the reader and quietly packing away her things.

'Do you mind if I keep this?' she asked, holding the card up.

'Um, yeah, go ahead,' he replied absently. 'I don't have any use for it. How can you be so calm?'

'She's dead, Jay. Worrying about how it happened isn't going to change anything.'

'Aren't you even a little concerned that whoever did it might still be out there?'

'For all they knew, the virus was about to break out. If they did hang around they're either very brave or very stupid. I'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious but with nothing else to go on I don't imagine I'll get very far. Oh, and I think we should keep this to ourselves. Cable's got enough on his mind at the moment without having to deal with a murdered Techno.'

'If you say so, but don't you think it would make it easier if…'

'I can handle it, Jay. Trust me. I know Cable and he won't be impressed if I dump this on him now. Maybe when everything is back to normal. Now if you don't mind I'd better be going now, I have a lot of work to do. I'll see myself out.' She walked out of the door, barely acknowledging Ellie, who appeared to have finished helping Jack with his exercises for now. He thought that if there had been a door, Spinner would have slammed it.

'What's crawled into her uniform?' Ellie asked, coming closer. 'And what's all this about a Techno being murdered?'

'You heard all that? I thought you were supposed to be helping Jack.'

'I was!' she said defensively, angrily flicking her long blonde hair behind one ear. 'Anyway, it was pretty hard not to hear what you were saying. You weren't exactly being discreet.'

'Oh. Well, it's nothing to worry about,' he said, aware that his tone of voice made it sound like he was saying it was none of her business. 'Spinner's got everything under control. I'd better go and see her out.'

'Men!' Ellie complained as he slipped past her towards the door. 'Don't forget it's Amber you're supposed to be with!' he heard her call out after him. Paying little attention to her he left the room as quickly as he could, almost tangling himself in the flimsy curtain across the empty doorframe, in his haste to catch up with Spinner before she disappeared.

* * *

'And so the big bad wolf cried out to the three little pigs inside the house…' Trudy narrated, turning the page of the book she was reading to Brady. As she did so she caught sight of Spinner coming down the stairs looking pleased with herself. The Techno woman smiled towards where Trudy was sitting on the edge of the fountain and she smiled back, the smile immediately turning to a scowl the moment Spinner's back was turned.

'Tramp!' she muttered under her breath.

'Not right Mommy!' Brady giggled. 'He say "I huff and I puff and I blooooow your house down!"'

'Of course he does, darling.' Trudy said. 'Silly Mommy.'

'Silly Mommy!' Brady agreed. Although she couldn't read yet, the little girl had made her mother read this story to her so many times that she had memorised the words and knew exactly when to turn the page. Trudy had often found herself being corrected for turning two pages at once, or for saying the wrong word.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Spinner was loitering around the main grille, as if she were waiting for something. On a hunch, she turned her gaze to the top of the stairs and, sure enough, in a matter of moments a figure appeared at the top of the stairs – Jay. The Techno woman turned around to meet him, as if he had just caught her before she walked out of the mall, wearing that sickeningly self-satisfied smile again.

'Spinner! Wait!' Jay called as he raced down the stairs two at a time. 'I'm sorry about what I said. Please, at least let me see you out.'

'Ugh, how pathetic,' she thought.

'Mommy, Mommy! Finish story!' Brady called, tugging at her mother's clothes but to no avail, as Trudy closed the book and put it to one side.

'Not now Brady,' she said. 'Finish tidying up Gel's drawings first.'

'Not fair Mommy!' Brady pouted. 'Why not Bonnie?'

Trudy sighed. 'Well if I could find her then you'd both be tidying it all up. Now don't argue, the sooner you get started the sooner it will all be done and we can finish the story, but not before you've said sorry to Gel. She's very upset, you know those drawings mean a lot to her.' In reality, Trudy thought that Gel had taken the whole thing way too seriously, rushing off to her room in a flood of tears, but the girls had done wrong and she deserved an apology from them.

'But Bonnie!' Brady persisted, screwing up her face.

'Yes, yes, sweetie, Bonnie will have to apologise too!' Trudy answered, loud enough for Bonnie to hear if, as she suspected, the girl was hiding somewhere nearby. Brady seemed to realise that this was the best she could hope for and stopped complaining, reluctantly beginning to sort through the trampled sheets of paper on the floor. Trudy took this opportunity, naturally, to listen in on what Jay and Spinner were saying.

'…glad you came after me actually,' Spinner was telling him. 'There's something I forgot to mention earlier. It must have slipped my mind with all the talk about Elsa.' Trudy wondered who or what Elsa was.

'What is it?' Jay asked. 'Something about Jack?'

'No. I told you everything I could about him. It's about the people who left the city.'

'Are they starting to come back already?'

'No, but they could be here sooner than you think.' Trudy thought Spinner looked like she was enjoying stringing Jay along, telling him as little as possible and making him ask for more. She wondered if the Techno knew Arto, the trader's bodyguard.

'How?' Jay asked, too transfixed to realise what the little witch was doing. 'Have you heard something?'

'I've been talking to Tag, and he thinks we can restore enough power to run CityNet again, starting tonight.'

'That's great,' he replied. 'I never dreamed you'd have it up so quickly, but I still don't get it. Even if you issued a broadcast it wouldn't reach anybody outside the city.'

'Some who are still hiding out in the city, maybe, but that's not the best part. Tag reckons he can convince Cable to send people out in trucks and put the broadcast out through the speakers. What do you think of that?'

'It might work,' Jay said thoughtfully, although not sounding entirely convinced. 'And it would certainly be in Cable's best interests for him to be seen to be doing something positive like that. You'd have to have somebody the people trusted making the broadcast though. They won't come back if they think the Technos are still in power.'

'Who do you suggest?'

'Well, ordinarily I'd say Amber, but I don't think she would be up to doing something like that. Not yet, anyway.'

'Well who else could do it? I mean, Amber can't be the only person in the city the people trust.' Spinner was frowning, but her eyes told Trudy that she already knew exactly who could do it. She just wanted Jay to suggest it first so she could say it had been his idea all along. Sure enough, he fell for it.

'I guess it'll have to be me,' he said slowly, and Spinner grinned.

'That's a wonderful idea, Jay!' she gushed. 'This city will be alive and kicking again in no time! I'm going to go straight back to the hotel to tell Cable and Tag the good news. I'll let you know what's happening once we've settled in at the power station.' She gave him a peck on the cheek and giggled before departing. 'And make sure Jack gets his exercise!' she added on her way out. A flabbergasted Jay was left standing alone, touching his cheek where her lips had brushed his skin and watching her swaying hips vanish out of the building. Trudy decided it was time to bring him back down to Earth, so she stood up and walked around the fountain to where he was standing, clearing her throat to get his attention. Colour bloomed in his cheeks and he hastily moved his hand away from his face. She was glad that he had at least had the decency to be ashamed.

'Trudy! I, erm…' He gave a weak laugh and nervously scratched his head. 'I didn't see you there.'

'So it seems,' she replied, giving him a dark look. 'You were too busy staring at…her!' she finished in a disgusted splutter. 'What is wrong with you Jay? Is Amber not paying you enough attention? How awful for you!'

'That's not fair, Trudy!' he said, sounding hurt, but she was on a roll.

'Isn't it? Have you even tried talking to her?'

'Yes!' he shouted. 'And I'm going to keep trying, despite what everyone else seems to think. I mean, what kind of man do you think I am, Trudy?'

She watched as he stormed past her and up the stairs. 'Where are you going now? Off to sulk?'

'I'm going to clear my head before I go and see Amber!'

The words hit her like a rock, along with a sudden wave of guilt. She didn't like to admit it, but perhaps her feelings of loathing towards that hateful woman had clouded her judgement. Jay wasn't going to leave Amber, especially in her present condition. They loved each other and as much as Trudy wished every day that things could be different, she knew that Amber and Jay were meant to be together. Deciding that she would go and apologise to Jay after they'd both had some time to cool down, she resumed her place on the edge of the fountain and watched Brady straightening out Gel's drawings and putting them into a neat pile.

* * *

Jay sat on the couch in Darryl's room, his fingers clenched in frustration in his short hair. Darryl himself had left the room in a hurry, stuttering excuses when he had seen the look on Jay's face. Releasing the grip on his hair, he closed his eyes to think. Trudy had spoken out of line but it was only because she cared about Amber, and he didn't blame her – or any of the Mallrats for that matter – for not trusting the Technos. There was no excuse for how he had spoken to her, and deep down he knew it had been because there was a grain of truth in what she had said. He did still have feelings for Spinner. He just wished that people would trust him to do the right thing. First Slade, then Ellie and now Trudy. His heart belonged to Amber, and that was where it was going to stay.

* * *

Bonnie sat out on the street just outside the mall, crouched down with her back against the wall in between a rubbish skip and a stack of cardboard boxes. She was filthy again and her hair was all over the place. Trying to wipe away a mucky mark from her sleeve – she thought she should at least make a bit of an effort, considering the clothes she was wearing weren't her own – she only succeeded in making it worse and decided to give it up as a bad job. Among the rubbish was one of her favourite hiding places when she was in trouble, or if she just wanted to get away from someone. Nobody ever thought to look there and by the time she had sneaked back nobody was angry anymore, or else they had been too worried about her to remember what she had done. This time she had managed to upset Gel. She hadn't meant to, she had just been playing with the older girl's drawings with Brady. No harm had come to them, well, not really. Maybe a few smudges here and creases there but nothing a heavy book couldn't fix.

Deciding that Gel would have forgotten about the whole thing by now, she began to stand up. Immediately as she did so she froze as a figure came strolling out of the mall. Fearing that Trudy had come to look for her she crept back into her hiding place carefully and watched as the figure approached. She recognised immediately not Trudy but the pretty Techno woman who had arrived earlier. The woman moved stealthily among the rubbish bins and looked around to make sure nobody was watching her before casually tossing something small into a pile of split bin bags whose insides had spilled out onto the ground. Smiling to herself and dusting her hands off, the Techno carried on down the street, never looking back. Curious, Bonnie waited until the woman was out of sight before diving out from behind the boxes and straight into the pile of rubbish, feeling right at home and not put off in the slightest by the stench of the rotting contents. Finding what she was looking for, she pocketed it and skipped innocently back into the mall.


	17. Closure

Slade stood outside Amber's room, listening to the girl's quiet, exhausted sobs. He couldn't remember how long he had been standing there listening to her, but she had been like that the whole time. Part of him wanted to stop intruding on her time of weakness, but the rest of him wanted to go inside and comfort her. Why weren't her friends with her? The rest of her tribe? He didn't understand why she was all alone at a time like this, especially after all he had heard she had done for them all. He had originally stopped outside her room as part of his trip around the mall, asking people if they wanted to attend the memorial service he was planning for his brother and Ram, although he had never intended to ask her to come - he wasn't stupid. Deciding to continue with what he had been doing - he had yet to talk to Salene and May, even though he wasn't holding out much hope for either of them - he made as if to leave.

'You've been standing there so long,' Amber's strained voice came from inside. 'You could at least come in and show me who you are.' He hadn't noticed when she had stopped crying. Torn between pretending he had never been there and complying with the firm but not unkind order, he hesitated a second before pulling back the curtain and walking in. Amber looked surprised. 'Slade. I have to admit I wasn't expecting you. You might as well take a seat though.' She pointed towards the end of the bed. 'I think I need to talk to someone.'

'Do you want me to fetch Salene? Or Jay?'

'I think it might be easier with someone I don't know as well, who doesn't know me.'

'They won't judge you, Amber. I know I haven't been with the Mallrats very long, but I'm certain of that.'

'Still, it's easier this way, you know? Now sit down before I change my mind!' Her lips quirked in the beginnings of a smile, one that he might not have noticed had he not been looking for it. Gingerly he perched himself on the end of the bed, unsure as to what he was doing there.

'So. What did you want to talk about?'

'How long have you got? I've been really stupid haven't I?'

'Of course you haven't,' he said, surprised. 'Why would you say that?'

'I've been so selfish. I've abandoned my child, cut myself off from the rest of the tribe. They should be celebrating, not worrying about me. They deserve better than that.'

'You're the least selfish person I can think of, Amber,' he replied. 'That's why you mean so much to everybody, why they'll be happy to look after you, if you let them. Everybody goes through rough patches in their lives. You've helped them through theirs, now let them do the same for you. That's what _you_ deserve.'

She tilted her head slightly to one side and studied him for a while, as if seeing something in him that she hadn't before. It was all rather unnerving for him. 'Will you and Ebony be staying with us?' she finally asked.

He shrugged. 'For the time being,' he said. He couldn't give any more answer than that. He wasn't usually one to stick around in the same place for very long. She nodded, as if she had expected no less. He stood up from the bed. At Amber's questioning look he explained his departure. 'I've been organising a memorial,' he said. 'For Ram and Josh. I still have to ask Salene and May if they want to come.'

'That's a nice idea,' she said. She didn't mention coming herself and he didn't ask her. At the doorway he turned and added 'If there's one thing I've learned in these past few months, it's that you can't do everything on your own. You have to let people in. I didn't realise that at first, and it nearly cost me Ebony. Make sure you don't lose Jay, he really does love you.'

'I know,' she replied, following him to the doorway. 'Thanks for this Slade.' Standing on tiptoes she gave him a peck on the cheek and clasped his hands in hers. 'Could you do one final thing for me?'

'What is it?'

'When you see Salene, could you ask her to bring my baby over?'

He smiled and Amber echoed him. 'Of course I will.' He left the room with the smile still on his face.

* * *

Having cleared his head after his row with Trudy, Jay made his way from Darryl's room across the hall to Amber's. Preparing himself for an unwelcome reception - perhaps unwelcome was a strong word, but his last few meetings with her had certainly been unproductive - he was surprised when his knock on the doorframe was met by a fairly cheerful 'Come in!'. Entering the room he was even more surprised to see her feeding a giggling Bray, or at least trying to. A good portion of the…mush was the only way to describe it really…covered the little guy's face. Instinctively he crossed the floor to wipe it off with his thumb. Amber handed him a serviette, brushing his fingers with her own as she did so. Sparks seemed to fly up through his fingertips when they touched, warming his whole body. Their eyes locked, making his heart skip a beat, and she smiled. It was a small smile that didn't touch her eyes, which betrayed the weariness within, but it was a smile nonetheless and he was determined to take all of them he could get.

'Hey,' he said softly, not wanting to disturb the mood. Had they just had a 'moment'? Certainly not what he had expected when he woke up this morning. He wondered what had caused the change in her mood.

'Hey,' she replied, settling Bray down in the cot next to the bed. For a while neither of them said anything, and he was beginning to think that perhaps he had been mistaken, when seemingly out of nowhere she threw her arms around him and burst into quiet sobs.

'What's wrong Amber?' he asked, suddenly concerned.

'I've missed you so much, Jay,' she said, her words muffled due to her head being buried as far into his chest as she could get it.

'I've missed you too,' he replied, covering her protectively with his arms while he fought to hold back his own tears.

* * *

Slade woke with a start, remembering the memorial service he was supposed to be conducting this afternoon – granted it was hardly going to be a full house but he didn't want those who had said they would be coming to give up and leave before he got there. As he began to put on his clothes he looked over at where Ebony was sleeping peacefully, a contented smile on her face. He seemed to have that effect on women. He stamped his feet into his boots and went to pick up his shirt – how had it managed to get all the way over there? Smirking, he vaguely remembered Ebony throwing it across the room. Just a quick one, she had said, and how long ago had that been? Time meant little to him since the Virus. He shouldn't have let her talk him into it, although if truth be told there had been very little talking on her part, and even less resistance on his. He buckled his belt and quickly checked his appearance in the mirror Ebony had managed to acquire from somewhere in the mall – looking good as always – before grabbing his rucksack and heading out of the room.

Luckily everybody was still at the Phoenix Statue, although 'everybody' consisted of Ruby and Lottie, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that they had come for Ram rather than Josh. Still, he couldn't say he was surprised by the turnout, if a little disappointed.

'Where have you been?' Lottie moaned. 'You're late!'

Ruby elbowed the girl in the ribs. 'Lottie, that's rude! You should say sorry to Slade.'

'Sorry Slade,' she pouted. Ruby and Slade shared a smile over her sulkiness.

'Thanks for coming, both of you,' Slade told them, touching them both on the shoulder. It means a lot to me.'

'He could be mean, but he was funny,' Lottie blurted out. 'I liked him.' Ram hadn't been able to stand Lottie most of the time, but in the time they had spent in the saloon at Liberty, he and Ruby had been the nearest the little girl had had to a father and mother since the Virus.

'I couldn't let you go through all this alone, could I?' Ruby said casually, though he suspected that she too had grown fond of Ram in the short time they had known each other, perhaps even more than she would be willing to admit, judging by some of the looks he had seen her give the former Techno leader.

'I guess we'd better get started then,' he said, slipping off his bag and opening it up, laying its contents out on the floor. He took out a wad of candles wrapped in a piece of white cloth, a box of matches and a smaller object in another strip of cloth. His hands trembled as he unwrapped this last bundle and gingerly took out a pair of glasses – Josh's glasses – as if they could break at the slightest touch. As he set the glasses down on the edge of the Phoenix fountain, Lottie pulled out another neatly-wrapped object from her pocket and handed it to Ruby, who proceeded to unwrap it just as carefully as Slade had the glasses.

'We looked through his stuff like you asked,' Ruby said, extending the object to him. 'I thought this would work best.'

He took the object, Ram's car safety-belt belt-buckle. 'It's perfect,' he told her, putting it next to the glasses, and she smiled thankfully. In silence he arranged the candles around the front half of the fountain's edge, setting them in glasses borrowed from the café, then lit them and stood back, with Ruby on his left and Lottie on his right. He wasn't sure at first how he was going to do this, but what he had done so far somehow seemed right. Ruby and Lottie hadn't complained, at least, and now they were both looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak. 'Josh,' he finally began. 'I know everybody keeps telling me I'm not to blame for how you turned out, but I can't help imagining how things might have been if I'd got back to the caravan sooner. You wouldn't have lost your trust in people and you wouldn't have been persuaded to join the Technos. We could have had our own little farm like we used to talk about before all this, before the Virus. Or we could have joined a tribe. Whatever, it doesn't matter. We would have been together. When I think of all the good you could have done…I should have looked after you, I should never have left you. I'm sorry, Josh.' The thin pink candles he had found had begun to let off a floral scent that he recognised as roses. Remembering his mother, who always used to smell of the rose-scented soap she used to use, he added 'Say hi to our parents for me, Josh. Tell them I'll see them soon, but not just yet.' No, not yet. He had too much to make up for first. He bowed his head for a few minutes, lost in his own thoughts, before turning to Ruby, who had her eyes closed and her own head bowed. 'Ruby,' he said. 'Do you want to say anything? For Ram? Ruby?'

Ruby opened her eyes, that Slade saw were shining with tears, and stared at the belt-buckle. 'Trust you to go and get yourself killed,' she said. 'Just when I was starting to like you!' She ended in a burst of tears, one hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs and holding herself with the other. He put an arm around her and she fell into his comforting hold, crying into his coat. He felt Lottie's arms around his waist and put his free hand on her shoulder. They stood there holding each other until the girls' tears stopped. Slade himself refused to cry – he had to be strong for them. After a while Ruby removed herself from his arm and wiped her eyes. 'I think I needed that,' she joked. 'After everything that's happened.'

'I'm always here for you Ruby,' he said. 'For you and our baby.'

'Slade…'

'It's okay. I want to be a part of the baby's life, no matter what Ebony says.'

'No, Slade, I…' she paused, not meeting his eye. 'I'll talk to you later. Come on, Lottie. Let's go.'

Feeling slightly confused but putting it down to her being upset, he watched them leave then began to blow out the candles, the smell of the smoke replacing that of the flowers as he did so. Vaulting over the edge of the fountain he placed Josh's glasses and Ram's buckle at the base of the statue. Still there, but out of the way. He didn't want to think of what would happen if Lex got his hands on them. Some of the others, too. Hopping back over the wall he grabbed his things and walked away.

From her hiding place behind a pillar Ebony had watched the whole of Slade's little ceremony for Mega and Ram, her anger rising when he had put his arm around that cow Ruby! How could she take advantage of him in a situation like this? And why had he let her? Well if they thought they were going to fool her then they were very much mistaken! As he approached where she was hiding she stepped out in front of him, making him jump, which was satisfying in itself.

'Ebony! What are you doing here? Were you…were you _spying_ on me?'

'Cosy little gathering you had there, the three of you. Like one big, happy family.'

'You were! I thought we were past this, Ebony, you not trusting me. What else can I do?'

'You can stay away from _her_ for a start!'

'I've already told you, this baby is a part of my baggage you're going to have to live with, and if you don't like that…'

'She's not pregnant!'

Slade stopped mid-sentence with his eyes wide and mouth open, before regaining his composure. 'What?' he said.

'She's not pregnant,' she repeated. 'She never was.'

'You're lying,' he spat.

'Ask Salene if you don't believe me. Or May. They know the truth.'

'I don't need to ask anyone else, she can tell me herself!' Turning on his heels he stormed off, presumably to find Ruby. It was then that she realised her big mistake. What if Ruby told him about the 'accident'?

'Slade!' she shouted after him. 'You can't go and talk to her in this mood, Slade! Come back here! Slade!'

Ruby sat on her bed, quietly drying her eyes. She had sent Lottie to find Bonnie and Sammy in an attempt to cheer the girl up and, if she had to admit it, to leave her alone here with her thoughts. It was only recently that she had realised she was falling for Ram. Ram, of all people! Now it was too late. She had never been lucky in love and she was starting to think that perhaps she was cursed. At that moment, someone rushed in through the curtain and she leapt off the bed to defend herself before she realised it was Slade. When she noticed his expression, though, she thought that maybe she would need to defend herself after all. He looked livid!

'Is it true?!' he yelled. 'You're not pregnant?' She clicked her teeth in annoyance. Ebony! That little witch must have told him!

'Yes,' she replied calmly. 'It's true. I never meant to hurt you Slade. I only found out just before we left the mall.'

Slade shook his head in disbelief. 'But you were so _sure_! Do you have any idea how messed up everything is right now in my head?'

'I'm so sorry Slade.'

'Just leave it, Ruby. Just leave me alone.' As he stormed out of the room again she flopped down despondently onto her bed. He didn't deserve Ebony, but she had promised herself she wasn't going to tell anybody about what happened unless she absolutely had to, and she wasn't about to go back on that now.

On the roof of the mall, Slade sat with his legs dangling over the edge, tears flowing freely down his face. He cried until he could cry no more, and when he had finished he stood up calmly and dried his face with the sleeve of his coat. 'That's all you're getting, Josh,' he said, before calmly walking back into the building. Ebony was waiting for him in their room, looking slightly nervous. He smiled at her to reassure her he was alright and she smiled back, a mischievous glint in her eyes.


	18. The Return

_As soon as she heard the door click behind her, she knew something was wrong. The smile vanished from her face, as did all thoughts of looking for Jay. She tried to open the door, but, as she had already known, it was locked. She should have known that the Zoot computer would have tried something as soon as she left Jack alone in the room, and she mentally berated herself for not seeing it coming. Angrily jiggling the door handle she pounded her palm on the red-painted wood, but it was no use. 'Jay!' she shouted. 'Jay! Help me!' She stopped her pounding to hear his reply, but none came. Where was he? He had heard her call before so why couldn't he hear it now? Unless… her eyes widened as she realised the horrible truth - Jay had never been in the hotel in the first place. The computer must have tricked her, and most likely had tricked Ram as well. As if it knew what she had been thinking, a change in the light in the room caught her eye and she looked through the window where the image on the monitors had changed. Dozens of Jays stood staring straight at her, waving and grinning in the same way that Zoot had not too long before. A moment later, Jack spasmed in his chair and grimaced in pain, his fingers attempting to dig into the armrests. 'No!' she screamed, frantically resuming her pounding on the door, keeping rhythm with the rattling noise that had suddenly started up in the back of her head. 'Jack! Jack! No! Leave him alone! Jack!' As hysteria took over she slid to her knees, still leaning against the door. 'Jack,' she whispered one last time before collapsing in a heap on the floor, the rattling in her head getting louder and louder until finally…_

* * *

…She jerked upright in her bed, golden ringlets taken down from her usual Zulu-knots swinging in her face as she sucked in ragged breaths of air. As her brain started to wake up she realised that the rattling noise she had thought she was hearing in her dream was in fact real. Now that she had her wits about her she knew exactly what it was - the grille that blocked off the mall's main courtyard from the outside world. Someone was trying to get inside! 'Jay!' she shouted, echoing her dream and giving her goose bumps, but this time he was here. In the early morning light she saw him rise from the floor where he had been sleeping.

'I've got it,' he said, pulling on his trousers before heading to the door. 'You stay here.'

Amber scrambled out of the bed before he could get away. 'No! I'm coming with you!'

He nodded his head quickly. 'Alright, but hurry up.' She scooped her son up into her arms - she wasn't going to leave him on his own - and hurried after him. When they reached the stairs they met Ebony and Slade also coming down to investigate the noise. Both were fully dressed and Ebony was armed with a baseball bat. Amber was beginning to think that staying behind with Bray would have been a better idea, but it was too late to turn back now, and she had wanted to take her mind off the dream. The small group reached the bottom of the stairs, where most of the rest of the tribe had gathered. Lex was there, bare-chested like Jay, wielding another bat and standing in front of May, in pyjamas, and Ellie, fully dressed. The blonde looked tired and had clearly been at Jack's bedside all night. Darryl was there too, immobilised by Gel clinging to the sleeve of his dressing gown and Bonnie clutching his leg. Both girls wore pink nightgowns - although Gel's was more flamboyant, and made of a thin material that would have been bordering on indecent had it not been for the more than generous quantities of garishly bright pink feathers that lined the edges - and matching pink fluffy slippers. Sammy also stood nearby, bouncing eagerly on his toes, brandishing a broom shaft but not looking particularly menacing in a pair of checked pyjama bottoms and a vest. All the while the rattling of the grille continued, with the occasional shout of 'Mallrats! Hey, Mallrats!' or one of their names.

'Amber!'

'Jay!'

'Lex!'

'They don't sound all that threatening,' Jay said. 'Best not to take chances, though. Are we all here?'

'Trudy's hiding with Brady,' May said. 'Salene's with them.'

'I think Ruby's with Lottie in their room,' Darryl added.

Amber walked up to Darryl and handed Bray over to him. 'Can you take Bray and the other kids somewhere safe?' she asked him, gesturing to Bonnie, Gel and Sammy, none of whom looked happy at being labelled 'kids'. Gel, at least, was sufficiently frightened to leave with him, but made it seem like it had been her decision to leave all along.

'Come on Darryl,' she said. 'And let go of me!'

'But…you had hold of me!' he protested as they walked away, Bonnie still trying to hold onto his leg.

'You too, Sammy,' Amber told the youngster.

'I want to stay here and fight!' he said defensively. 'I'm not a kid!'

'Just do it Sammy!' she snapped, matching his glare until he stormed off, shoulders hunched up in anger. 'And there won't be any fighting if I can help it!' she called out after him.

'What's happening?' May asked when the younger members of the tribe had left. 'Are we being invaded?'

'There's only one way to find out,' Ebony answered, tapping her bat against the palm of her hand as if she were itching for a fight.

'Alright then,' Jay said, a purposeful look in his eyes. 'Let's do this. Shall we lead the way, Lex?' Lex nodded and started forward with Jay, holding his bat aloft. Ebony joined them and Jay looked back as if to stop her, but she tightened her grip on the bat she was carrying as if she would use it on him if he even suggested she stay back, and he let it drop. Amber and the remaining Mallrats fell in behind them, heading across the courtyard and around the corner, where a huge crowd of people stood behind the grille, still shouting and banging the metal frame, trying to make as much noise as possible.

Abruptly a huge cheer rose up from the crowd, accompanied by even more rattling of the grille and followed by a chant of 'Mallrats! Mallrats! Mallrats!' Amber recognised a number of faces in the crowd, including a fair few tribe leaders.

'I don't believe it!' said Jay. 'It's the rest of the city tribes!'

'Some of them at any rate,' May added. 'But yours and Spinner's message only went out a couple of days ago!'

'Jay! Jay!' A voice came from somewhere deep in the crowd and a woman who Amber decided must be Spinner forced her way to the front. At least, the description Trudy had given her matched, but she looked like no Techno she had ever seen before, in a white Lycra outfit decorated with yellow lightning bolts down the legs and the upper arm. Evidently the Technos had a new uniform. 'It worked, Jay!' the woman continued. 'I met this lot coming in from Sector 4, heading straight here, so I thought I'd tag along - isn't it wonderful? The city's going to be buzzing again in no time!'

'Spinner! That's great news, but what's with the new get-up? Lex, raise the grille and let everyone inside.' Lex went to carry out this task while Amber could only stand on and watch while Jay eyed Spinner's 'new get-up' and the dark-skinned woman kept looking at him too. She hoped that the goose bumps appearing on his chest were down to the cold and not Spinner's gaze. She was about to say something to remind them of her presence when the grille finally moved and she and the rest of the Mallrats were overwhelmed by the throng of well-wishers, each of them wanting to show their thanks for stopping the virus from being released, and to press gifts upon them, from simple food and blankets to more valuable items such as jewellery and electrical items. After a while Salene appeared at the top of the stairs to see what was going on, followed soon after by Gel and Bonnie, and finally Ruby and Lottie. Sammy was probably sulking somewhere, Trudy was no doubt with Brady, and Darryl was hopefully still looking after Bray. Leaving the crowd - and Jay and Spinner - behind, Amber decided to go and find her son, making apologetic noises to anyone who tried to talk to her on the way. After trying first Darryl's room and then her own she eventually found the two of them downstairs by the lift shaft. Darryl had his back to her, and so did not notice her arrival. He was holding Bray out in front of him, pulling faces and making baby sounds, to which Bray was responding with giggles and noises of his own.

'What are you two talking about then?'

Darryl swirled around to face her with a surprised yelp, causing Bray to squeal in delight as he moved through the air. Colour bloomed on the man's cheeks. 'Amber! I, er, I didn't hear you. He…he didn't like the noise. It was quieter down here. I'm sorry, I should have told you. Here, take him.' Bray reached out his hands towards his mother, and she took him from Darryl's outstretched arms. 'Relax Darryl,' she said. 'You did a good job. Thanks for looking after him for me.' A sheepish grin appeared on his face and he rubbed the back of his head, before regaining his composure and making a hasty escape, mumbling excuses. No doubt he was off to do something more manly than looking after babies.

Amber shook her head and laughed. 'What do you think, little man?' she asked Bray. Is Darryl just a big softie?' Her son giggled and clapped his little hands. 'Yeah,' she laughed. 'I think so too.'

* * *

'So this is all the rage in Technoland?' Jay asked Spinner, gesturing to her new uniform. The pair stood a little way off from the main bustle of the courtyard - now not quite as busy as it had been - but still close enough to be on hand if they were needed. Feeling the cold after so long wandering around half dressed in the middle of the night, he pulled the blanket Spinner had acquired for him out of one of the steadily growing piles of presents from the city folk around his shoulders more tightly and suppressed a shiver.

Spinner laughed in answer to his question. 'Something like that,' she said. 'We couldn't exactly go on as we were, the people have no trust in the Technos anymore. We need people to see we're different.'

'They'll figure it out, you know. It's not like any other tribe knows how to keep the power on.'

'We're not denying our past, Jay. We just want to show that we've changed. We're not the Technos anymore, we're the Technicians.' Her voice rang with pride at the new name.

'So the Technos are finally over,' he said, staring into space. 'It's funny, after everything that's happened I still find that a little sad.'

'Don't!' Spinner said harshly, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at her, in a way that made him think of Ebony. 'The Technos never stood for anything you or I believed in, Jay, never! With people like Ram and Mega calling the shots we were foolish to believe people like us could make a difference.'

'And now?'

'Now we _will_ make a difference, Jay!' she said passionately. 'Our paths are no longer the same but we will both make a difference, in our own way.' She released her grip on his chin and moved her hand up to gently stroke his cheek. 'We'll make sure of it.'

'Hey guys!' Darryl smiled as he walked up to them, causing them both to jump and blush. 'What's up? Woah - Spinner, you look…hot!'

Jay laughed. Darryl hadn't noticed a thing!

'Ugh!' Spinner cringed, taking a step back from Darryl, who was in danger of drooling all over her if he wasn't careful. 'I'll catch you later, Jay,' she said, sidestepping past Darryl before gliding gracefully through the remaining crowd and out of the mall. Jay stared after her, a puzzled expression on his face.

'She's changed,' he said, half to himself.

'Yeah, I know!' Darryl said, grinning. 'She looks hot!'

Jay covered his face with one hand and shook his head in disbelief.


	19. Pieces of the Puzzle

The steady patter of heavy rain on the roof of the building signalled a stormy day ahead, but as the early morning light crept gradually into the dark places of the mall, the last of the city dwellers braved the weather and finally made their way home. Amber, who had been roped into meeting and greeting again, tiredly climbed the stairs to the café, where most of the other Mallrats were gathered. The scraping of the chair as she pulled it out from under the table jolted Ellie, who had been nodding off, back into the land of the living. As she sat down and began to rub her tired feet, Jay, Trudy and Ruby joined the gathering.

'Is that everyone?' she asked.

'Darryl's looking after the babies and Gel said she needed her beauty sleep.' Jay answered, taking a seat next to her.

'What about the kids?'

'Probably up to mischief somewhere,' he said. 'This is as full a house as you're going to get.'

'Right,' Lex said grumpily. 'So can we get on with the meeting before we all end up like Sleeping Beauty here?' He nodded towards Ellie, who had dozed off again.

Trudy scowled at him. 'Not much chance of that happening to you, Lex.' she said.

'Leave her alone, Lex!' Salene added. 'She's had barely any sleep since we got back to the mall; she's been at Jack's bedside every night.' She went to sit next to Ellie, putting her arm around the other girl to gently wake her up.

'I'll make this quick,' Amber said, glaring at Lex. 'I'm sure we all want to get a little rest after last night. There are a couple of things I'd like to raise with all of you.' When she was satisfied that she had everyone's attention she continued. 'Now that people are starting to come back to the city we need to make sure that the tribes don't start fighting for power again, especially with the Technos pretty much out of the picture.' She wasn't entirely sure how Spinner and the rest of her group fitted into everything. She made a mental note to ask Jay what he thought later. 'I'm not saying we need to come to a decision on anything now,' she went on. 'We need to talk to the tribe leaders for a start, but it's something to think about.' Both Lex and Ebony nodded at that, and she hoped that it meant they were on her side. 'Another thing,' she said. 'Is what are we going to do with all that?' She gestures to the piles of gifts in the courtyard below. 'We can't exactly keep all this stuff.'

'Why not?!' Lex spluttered. 'It's not as if we took it. They gave it to us of their own free will.'

'Remember what happened after we found the antidote,' Salene warned. 'People thought we were abusing our power in the end. They lost trust in us.'

'That was completely different!' Lex cried, once again causing Ellie to jolt out of her half-sleep.

'We should be careful though,' Trudy said, agreeing with Salene. 'Especially if we're going to hold talks with the tribe leaders. We have to make sure they listen to us.'

'But how?' Amber said, putting the question to the group as a whole.

After a short silence, it was Ruby who finally spoke. 'We could throw a party here,' she said. 'To celebrate the defeat of the Technos and welcome the city kids back home. We could raffle off this stuff on the night, that way we make everybody happy and don't look like we're being ungrateful giving everything back.'

'That's a great idea Ruby,' Amber said, and the rest of the tribe murmured their agreement. 'We can have the meeting with the tribe leaders while everyone else is enjoying themselves. It'll take a lot of organisation, though.'

'I don't mind doing it,' Ruby replied. 'But I might need a bit of help with the raffle.'

'Leave that to me babe,' Lex offered. 'I know how to give the punters what they want.'

'Um…thanks Lex,' Amber said, somewhat surprised at his change of heart over the gifts. 'Now that that's out of the way, then, I want to move onto something else. I'm sure you're all aware that I haven't quite been myself lately. I want to apologise to you all.'

'Don't be silly Amber!' Trudy said. 'You have nothing to apologise for!'

'Thanks Trudy. Nevertheless, I've decided that things have to change, especially when I have Bray to look after as well.'

'What are you saying Amber?' Ellie asked.

'Just that I'm going to be taking more of a back seat in the tribe for a while. I need to sort myself out properly, and to spend more time with my baby. I'm sure Lex and Jay will be able to manage without me.'

In answer, Trudy, Salene and Ellie all got up and gave her a hug, in a show of support and understanding. 'Alright then everybody,' she heard Jay call out behind her. 'I think that's everything for tonight. Let's all get some rest.' With a screech of chairs against floor, most of the tribe dispersed. Jay put a hand on her arm before following them out, leaving her standing in the café with the other three girls. It was at that moment she knew that with their help she had the best possible chance of getting her life back on track.

* * *

Jay had a spring in his step as he went down the stairs from the café to the main courtyard where he found Sammy, Lottie and Bonnie playing some sort of game that required them to run around the Phoenix statue chasing each other. In his current good mood, feeling optimistic about Amber's recovery and the future of their relationship - ok, so he was still sleeping on the floor, but he was hopeful that with Amber more and more like her old self everyday, she would be able to confide in him again - he didn't notice Bonnie running straight towards him and looking in the opposite direction.

'Umph!' he moaned as she ran into his legs. 'Are you alright?'

'Hide me!' she laughed, running behind him just as Sammy and Lottie burst out from the other side of the statue. Sammy had something on his wrist that was obviously supposed to be a Techno zapper, and he proceeded to point it at the giggling Lottie.

'Take that Evil Elsa!' he said, pulling his arm back and pretending to shoot.

'Nooooo!' Lottie cried, before performing a very slow and dramatic death.

Jay's ears had pricked up at the sound of the familiar name, and he proceeded to march over to the pair. The anger he felt inside was obviously sensed by them both as Lottie quickly picked herself up from the floor and Sammy came to stand next to her, fingering his zapper as if wishing it were real.

'How did you know that name?' Jay shouted, then noticed the card he had found on the body in the street pinned to Lottie's chest. 'Where did you get this card?' he asked, ripping it off. 'I gave this to Spinner! How did you get it? Tell me!'

'It's Bonnie's!' Sammy shouted back, pointing behind Jay. 'She found it outside the mall!'

Turning around, Jay saw Bonnie running off further into the mall and shouted after her. 'Bonnie! BONNIE!' Giving chase he easily caught up to the girl, dragging her back to the others perhaps a little more roughly than he intended. All three of the children fixed him with angry stares. 'These two say they got this card from you Bonnie,' he said. 'Is this true?' The little girl nodded slightly. 'Where did you get it?' he asked.

'I found it!' she sobbed. 'It's mine!'

'I gave this to somebody to look after! Don't lie to me! How did you get it?'

'She didn't want it! She threw it away! I found it, it's mine! Give it back!'

'She can't have done, she wouldn't do that! Tell the truth!'

'It _is_ the truth!' Bonnie shouted back. Finally managing to wriggle free from his grip she ran off in tears.

He turned back to Lottie and Sammy, causing them to run off too. 'I'm telling Salene!' Sammy yelled as he ran.

Sitting on the steps, Jay held the card out in front of him and stared at it. There was no doubt about it, it was definitely the same card he had given to Spinner. Bonnie had been adamant that she was telling the truth, but how could she possibly have got it otherwise? In the back of his mind doubts rose about Spinner, about how she had changed since he first knew her. Who should he believe? What should he do? The rain pounded harder on the roof, and he thought he heard the rumblings of distant thunder. Why, just as everything seemed to be turning around for the better, did things have to get so much more complicated?

* * *

Ellie wandered sleepily into the café to make herself a cup of coffee. Most of the rest of the tribe had gone back to bed to make up for the disturbance the night before, but it was well into the morning, and although they might not have much to do today, she did. Jack needed his exercises for one thing, and it was also her turn to make the midday meal, still without power - she wished that the new Technos, or Technicians, or whatever they wanted to call themselves now, would hurry up and sort the supply out soon - she had grown used to living a half-normal life again. As she poured the coffee into a mug and sat down at one of the tables, she realised she was not alone; Ruby sat in a corner reading by candlelight, and appeared not to have noticed Ellie's presence.

'Good book?'

Ruby jumped slightly then smiled. 'Oh, hi Ellie. I'm just doing some crossword puzzles, trying to focus my mind.'

'Oh? Any particular reason?'

Ruby looked thoughtful for a moment. 'Sort of.' It looked to Ellie as if she were about to say more, but then she was distracted by her crossword. 'Hey, you're a journalist right?'

'Well, kind of,' she replied.

'Any ideas for this one? "News report to hide information on date of birth". Eight letters.'

Ellie worried her bottom lip with her teeth in thought for a short while, then stated triumphantly 'Coverage!'

'Cover age, coverage. Yes!' Ruby cried in delight, scribbling the answer in. 'You're good.' Again she looked like she wanted to say something. Intrigued, Ellie decided not to let this chance slip away - it was time to pry!

'Is there something you want to say Ruby?' she asked. 'Whatever it is, you can trust me.'

'Well…I suppose two heads are better than one. It's something May and I saw the other day when we went out to look for food. It's been bothering me ever since.'

'What is it?' Ellie asked.

'Two of them, just lying in the street. Dead Technos.'

'You mean Technicians?'

'No, these were the old kind, in their uniforms. May seemed pretty calm about the whole thing, said they'd got on the wrong side of somebody during the evacuation, but there was something…odd, about the whole thing. I just can't put my finger on it.'

'Let me guess…no bruises?'

Ruby gasped. 'That's it! Of course! Wait a minute,' she said, her eyes narrowing. 'You know something. Spill.'

'Alright, but not a word to Jay!' Ruby nodded. 'When Spinner came to look at Jack I heard them talking about a Techno that Jay and the others found dead in the street on their way back from the hotel that day. The only mark on her was a small puncture wound on one arm. She was wearing civilian clothes but they found a Techno ID card on her, naming her as Elsa. Spinner recognised the name - apparently she was one of a group of Technos that went missing a while back.'

'And you think this could be connected?'

'Well, there's only one way to find out.'

'Look for the same mark on the bodies,' Ruby nodded with a grimace. 'I'm going into the city this afternoon with Darryl to let people know about the party tonight. If they're still there I'll take a look.'

'Are you sure? It'll be pretty gruesome.'

'Sure. It's not like any of us haven't seen a dead body before, and besides, I can't let a good puzzle go unsolved.'

'Great! Maybe you could quiz Darryl on where exactly they found the other one while you're out there? It might be useful to map out where they're being found.'

'You think there might be more?'

'What are you two girls whispering about?' Gel asked, appearing in the café.

'Oh, you know. Nothing really.' Ruby answered.

'If you say so,' Gel said, sounding unconvinced but not interested enough to push the matter. 'Anyway, I've got something to show you. Bonnie! Come along now! You two can be the first to see!' Bonnie entered the café wearing what was evidently the new outfit Gel had been making for her. The new dress was not dissimilar to the old one she had worn on her arrival at the mall, but where the old dress had looked, to put it bluntly, like a patched-up cloth sack, this one was a much nicer affair that fit the little girl perfectly. It was golden brown in colour, matching the gold stars at the corner of her eyes. The old dress had obviously been used as inspiration - a multitude of green patches in various shades served as a pattern, forming a line running diagonally from top to bottom. Over the dress she wore a little green waistcoat.

'Are you okay Bonnie?' Ruby asked. 'Gel, she looks like she's been crying.'

'Oh yeah, Jay had a go at her, something about some card that the Techno girl threw away and Bonnie found, only Jay didn't believe her, probably because he fancies that tramp.' Ellie and Ruby shared a meaningful look, while Gel put a comforting arm around Bonnie. 'But anyway, what do you think?'

'I think it's gorgeous!' Ruby beamed.

'Thank you! Ellie?'

'Yeah. Nice work Gel.' It pained her to say it, but the girl had actually done a good job.

Gel beamed and ushered Bonnie downstairs. 'Come on then, let's go see who else is around. Bye, you two!'

The pair waited until Gel was out of earshot before continuing their conversation. 'So what's the deal with this card then?' Ruby asked.

'Well, coming from Gel I wouldn't be too sure on its accuracy, but if Bonnie's telling the truth then Spinner's definitely up to something. She specifically asked to keep that card.' _And if she lied about that…_

'I'm sure what she told you about Jack was true,' Ruby said, putting her hand on top of Ellie's. Ellie smiled back gratefully.

'Either way,' she said. 'I think your puzzle just turned out to have a whole lot more pieces than we first thought.'

'Well it's a good job I like a challenge.'

'That makes two of us,' Ellie said, as outside a loud thunderclap broke across the sky.

* * *

Jay pulled up the hood of his camouflage jacket as he stepped out into the storm, determination on his face. Water splashed up from his boots as he ran through the saturated streets, his only aim being to get to the power station as quickly as he could. Elsa's ID card was gripped so tightly in his hand that he could no longer feel it digging into his skin. He had to ask her for himself. He had to know for sure.


	20. Power and Chaos

The bars of the sturdy steel gate reminded Jay of a prison cell. He clung to them, staring through the gaps at the building beyond - the Sector 6 Power Station. Encircled by a 12 foot high concrete wall topped with barbed wire, the graffiti on its outer face still proclaiming the Second Coming of Zoot, it was designed to stop people from coming in. Getting inside wouldn't be a problem, however, as the gate at which he stood was unlocked. He just didn't know if he wanted to go in. As much as he was afraid of what he might find out, though, he was more afraid of not knowing, of having to watch his back and guard his tongue whenever Spinner was near. With a heavy sigh he pushed open the gate, the squeaking noise it made increasing his feelings of unease, but as he walked through the empty yard to the entrance of the building his determination grew with every step. Reaching the door to the main building he pulled it open and stepped inside, the sound of the rain outside becoming muffled as he entered. Like every other building in the city, the power station had been ransacked by the tribes in the early days after the Virus, but the Technos had not bothered to clean up the place beyond what was necessary when they arrived and so the place still looked desolate. The floor of the entrance hall he stood in had been swept clear of debris, now pushed up against the walls, and a Techno 'T' had been painted in the middle of the floor over the power station's original crest, but this half-hearted attempt at aesthetic improvement only served to make the flaws stand out more.

Getting to the main generator room was easy - he simply had to follow the corridors that had been cleared of broken furniture and other rubbish. Strip lights flickered eerily, illuminating his path in fits and starts. Evidently the building's own emergency generator was working. Soon enough the corridors brought him out into a huge room filled with large pieces of machinery, most of which he didn't know the names for or what they did. At one end stood the massive generator used for powering the city and in front of this railings lined a sizeable hole where he could look down on the floor below. About twenty Technicians were milling about down there, some working at machines, others wandering around with clipboards, but all wearing the white uniform decorated with yellow lightning bolts that he had seen Spinner wearing earlier. She didn't appear to be with them, though. Above him a walkway along the walls created an upper floor, with doors leading to offices of some description. That seemed to be the best place to start looking for her.

'Jay, get away from there!' an anxious voice came from behind him, and he turned to see Tag coming out of a nearby door, zipping up his white top.

'Where is she Tag?' he demanded.

'Who? Spinner? I'll tell you, just please come into my office! If Cable sees you here…I'm supposed to be on security!'

'Glad to see you're taking your job seriously - I wasn't exactly sneaking in here.'

'Yeah well I was busy,' Tag replied. 'Now please, get in here!'

'Alright, alright,' Jay said, following him back through the door into what must have been the workers' staff room before the Virus. A number of comfy chairs lined the walls and holes marked the area where a darts board had once hung. A couple of desks had been dragged in from somewhere, forming an L-shape in a corner of the room. One held papers and files, the other a monitor that flickered between low quality CCTV images of the entrance hall and the two lower floors of the generator room. A screen blocked off an area at the back of the room, which was probably where Tag slept. The pair of them were not alone in the room - a young woman with medium length blonde hair was perched on the end of one of the desks. 'You were busy, were you?' he whispered to Tag, who coloured slightly.

'Erm, you remember Link don't you Jay?' Tag said, trying to hide his embarrassment by fetching a towel from behind the screened off area and handing it to Jay. Jay nodded at Link, who nodded back, then took the towel and dried himself off as best he could before handing it back.

'So where is she?'

Tag sighed 'Her office is just up the stairs, the first one you come to,' he said. 'But if you're going to see her please watch out for Cable. He doesn't seem to like you very much.'

'I've noticed,' Jay said grimly. 'Thanks for the warning. I'll let you two get back to whatever it was you were doing.'

'Erm, yeah, thanks. Did you find that report Link?'

'Hmm?' she replied. 'Oh. Oh, that report. No, sorry I couldn't find it anywhere.'

Jay shook his head and made a hasty exit, heading straight for Spinner's office, metal clinking under his boots as he made his way up the stairs.

'Come in!' he heard her muffled voice call through the door as he knocked on it. 'Jay!' she cried as he went inside, getting out of her seat. 'What a lovely surprise! Ooh, I've got some news for you - I think we'll be ready for the big switch-on this afternoon. Isn't that wonderful?'

'I suppose so,' he said.

'What's wrong?' she frowned. 'Is it Jack?'

He shook his head. 'I've been wracking my brains,' he said. 'But I just can't seem to find a reason to explain _this_.' He held up the identity card and her eyes widened. 'Well?'

'Jay, I can explain. It's not what you think.'

'And what is that exactly? Right now I don't know what to think.'

'Whatever it is that you're thinking, that's not it,' she said, sounding slightly annoyed. 'Close the door.' He looked at her stubbornly. 'Jay, please! Just close the door. Nobody else needs to hear this.' He slammed the door and she winced. 'Thank you,' she said calmly, sitting back down.

'This had better be good.'

Spinner closed her eyes, trying to decide what to say. When she opened them again they did not hold their usual sparkle. 'I lied to you Jay,' she said.

'I've figured that much out already, Spinner.'

'You wanted the truth so let me finish!' she snapped. 'Look, I'm sorry alright? I did know more about Elsa than I told you.'

'Well who was she? And why did you throw the card away? Don't you care about what happened to her?'

'Of course I do! I just…I panicked, Jay. If Cable ever found out…'

'Cable again! What does this have to do with Cable?'

'Everything Jay! They…Elsa and Cable were together. They were as close as you and I used to be,' she said sadly.

'Oh.'

'Yes. He never believed the official story that she and the others had run away, only nobody else would back him up. They either laughed off his 'conspiracy theories' or kept their heads down. Kept _our_ heads down,' she said guiltily. 'He threatened to go straight to Ram and accuse him of doing away with them all, but we…we stopped him.'

Jay detected the hesitation. 'What do you mean 'stopped him'? What did you do? And who's we?'

'He had a death wish Jay! If he'd gone to Ram he'd have been deleted for sure! He blamed himself for taking a promotion to another project, away from her. He thought if he'd stayed with her he could have protected her from whatever happened.'

'What did you do?'

'We did what had to be done to make him see sense. To save his life. It's none of your concern. I shouldn't even be telling you this much. All you need to know is that Cable was devastated when Elsa disappeared. If he found out about this he would fall to pieces again, and we need him Jay. The city needs him.'

'Why didn't you just tell me this before?'

'I don't know! I panicked! I didn't know…I didn't know if I could trust you.'

'Yeah well now the feeling's mutual.'

There was a long pause. 'Jay?' Spinner finally asked. 'It's never going to be like it was before is it? With us?'

He shook his head. 'The Technos changed us both. Maybe Ram was right to separate us. It was never going to work. You should probably tell that to Tag and Link, spare them all this.'

At that moment Spinner's pager beeped. 'It's Cable,' she said. 'He wants to see everyone about the switch-on. I have to go.'

'He has a right to know, Spinner. You can't leave him wondering forever, blaming himself for what happened.'

Spinner sighed. 'He doesn't blame himself anymore, Jay. He blames you.'

'Me?!' he spluttered, taken aback by this new piece of information. 'What did I do?'

'You were the only one who would stand up to Ram,' she told him. 'He respected you, but in his eyes you betrayed us when you left the Technos. Then of course he realised that the only reason he was promoted was because of the reshuffle of personnel after your departure. It was just another reason to hate you.'

'I see,' he said, not seeing at all. 'Well, you should probably go anyway. He'll be waiting for you.'

'I'd better call for Link and Tag first,' she said. 'I doubt they got the message. I'm sorry Jay, for everything.'

'Goodbye Spinner,' he said, and left the room.

On his way back to the mall he tried to go over everything in his head. Cable blamed him for the death of Elsa. No wonder he hated him so much. And Spinner…what had she done? What kind of person had she become? Certainly not one he could trust anymore. Sighing he wondered if any other nasty surprises would be in store for him that day. At least it had stopped raining.

* * *

Ellie gingerly held the blade to Jack's throat. 'I'm sorry baby,' she said. 'I hope this doesn't hurt too much.' It had been a while since Jack had last had a shave, and he was getting pretty fuzzy. Although frightened of cutting him, she had been telling him all about the party and had convinced herself that he would wake up for it, and it was therefore her duty to make sure he looked presentable.

'Nothing much has happened since this morning,' she told him. 'Ruby and Darryl have gone out to get some food and to tell people about the party. Ruby's going to have a look for those Techno bodies - remember I told you about them? It's really exciting! Just like working on the Amulet again, only without you of course. After tonight though you'll be better, and can help us out. I've washed your favourite shirt for you, for the party. We'll have this mystery solved in no time once you're back. You've probably solved it already inside that brilliant mind of yours anyway!' She paused, admiring her handiwork. Nearly done and she hadn't cut him once! 'Hmm, what else?' she mused. 'Oh, nobody can find Jay anywhere. He's probably gone to the power station to see Spinner about the ID card. I hope he's alright. I didn't tell anybody what I thought, but I'm sure he can look after himself. I don't think she'll hurt him. Oh! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!' she had been a bit overzealous with the razor just under his chin, but had she been imagining it or had he flinched? Nervously picking up the razor again she deliberately nicked the other side of his chin. Definitely nothing that time. As the tiny spot of blood welled up on his skin she burst into tears and dabbed at it with her handkerchief. 'Oh Jack!' she sobbed. 'I'm sorry for being so stupid! I thought you flinched! Please come back to me, I love you so much!' Laying down beside him on the bed she buried her face in his chest and wept, as she had done many times before, and feared she would do many times again.

* * *

He felt the weight of her against his chest again, and the stinging of the cuts on his face. He heard her crying and wanted to cry with her. Why weren't these stupid exercises working? But then, maybe he _had_ flinched. He couldn't remember. He felt as though he had flinched, but then he also felt as though he was putting his arms around Ellie right now, and he knew he wasn't. He would rather die than live like this for the rest of his life.

* * *

'Where have you been?' Amber asked as Jay walked into the room.

'I…had some things I needed to sort out,' he replied.

'What's wrong Jay? You look like you've seen a ghost. Whatever it is you can tell me.'

Jay shook his head. 'It's not important right now. How have you been?'

'Alright I guess. I just put Bray down for his nap.'

'It's good that you can spend time with him again,' he told her absently, his mind still on Spinner and Cable.

'Gel popped by earlier looking for you,' she said, changing the subject, although he wished she hadn't when he realised what it was.

'Gel? Why would she…oh.' He let out a small groan. 'Oh no, could this day possibly get any worse?'

'She…she left something for you,' Amber said, producing a box from under the bed, unsure after his reaction as to whether she should give it to him. 'What is it?' she asked.

Jay sighed. 'She said she was going to make me some clothes. Instead of this.' He gestured to his Techno uniform. Amber beamed in delight. 'It's not funny!' he complained, then after a while relented. 'Maybe it is a little funny.'

'Aren't you going to have a look?' Amber asked eagerly.

'I guess it can't be any worse than the box,' he said, wincing at the bright pink monstrosity tied with a pink ribbon. 'Can it?' Gingerly he reached for the box, unwrapping it and taking off the lid as if whatever was inside might leap out and attack him. 'Well at least she's consistent,' he announced. 'The tissue paper's pink too.'

Amber giggled. 'Hurry up! The suspense is killing me here!'

He removed the first layer of tissue paper and was relieved to find a normal looking pair of black trainers. 'So far so good,' he said. By the time he reached the bottom of the box, a whole outfit was laid out on the bed. As well as the footwear, this consisted of a pair of faded black jeans with chains hanging down the sides and silver flames on the lower legs, a charcoal-coloured tank top with another silver flame emblazoned across the chest, and a black leather motorbike jacket with numerous silver-coloured studs and zips, and another flame over the right breast pocket.

'I think it suits you!' Amber said as he tried it on and stood in front of the mirror.

'Well…I guess I can live with it,' he replied before flashing a smile to show that he was joking. Amber gave him a playful punch on the arm.

'Squeeeeeeeeeee!' A high-pitched shriek of delight announced the arrival of Gel, with Trudy close behind wearing an apologetic look. 'I knew you'd love it!' she said, bouncing up and down and clapping her hands. 'See, Trudy! I told you the chains wouldn't be too much.'

'Yes, Gel' Trudy replied. 'Jay, tell her it's wonderful and I'll go and sedate her.'

'Thank you Gel,' he said. 'It's great.' He wasn't sure how it was possible but her smile became even wider. He hoped it didn't lock in place.

'Alright then, Little Miss Fashion Designer,' Trudy said, taking Gel by the shoulders and steering her out of the doorway. 'Let's go find you a nice padded room. Bye guys.'

'Bye,' Amber and Jay echoed, smiling at each other.

* * *

'Aren't you done yet?' Slade joked as he watched Ebony getting ready for the party.

'No,' she replied, fixing another feather into her hair. 'I have to make sure I look my best, don't I?'

He hopped off the bed and walked over to her dressing table, where he began to kiss her neck. 'You always look your best,' he said to her reflection in the mirror.

'That's the right answer,' she said, turning her neck to lock lips in a passionate kiss. When they had both come up for air she rose from her chair and headed for the door.

'Where are you going?' he asked her.

'To the little girls' room,' she answered. 'Don't go anywhere.'

As she left the room he plonked himself back down on the bed and scratched his head. He didn't think he would ever understand women. As he put his hand down he caught sight of the bright blue pentagram that now adorned the back of it and scowled. It was like it burned, he hated it that much. He had always been independent before, a free spirit, but now look at him. He was part of a tribe, stuck in a shopping mall of all places, because of Ebony. He loved her, or at least he thought he did, but was this really what he wanted? Perhaps he was going soft. He had even been willing to give up everything when he thought that Ruby was pregnant with his child. It was like he was becoming a different person. In irritation he tried to rub off the Mallrats pentagram, but only succeeded in smudging it. Then an idea started to form in his head, slowly at first then building up momentum, and before he knew it he had grabbed his coat and rucksack and bolted out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him.

* * *

'Those farm kids sure drive a hard bargain,' Darryl complained, making a face at the contents of the wheelbarrow he was pushing.

'Yeah well everybody needs food after all the chaos of the evacuation, so they can charge pretty much whatever they like.' Ruby replied, handing a flyer to a passerby. Having run an establishment that required a regular supply of food and drink by herself, she was well aware of how prices could shoot up when there was trouble in the city. She tried not to think about what was happening to the place without her there to keep an eye on things, as not only did her mind come up with increasingly worrying scenarios, but it led to the inevitable thoughts as to when, if ever, she would see the saloon or even Liberty again. That was the reason she was here. Partly. Technically she and Darryl had been sent out into the city to bring back some food and to hand out flyers for the party that night, but what she was really interested in was the mystery of the Techno bodies. She had always escaped her worries by throwing herself into a challenging puzzle - it seemed to focus her mind and help her to sort out whatever was troubling her - so what better way to take her mind off home than this? Of course she had been looking after Lottie as well, but the girl was spending more and more time with Sammy and Bonnie, which meant that Ruby was spending more and more time on her own with her thoughts. Ellie had told her of some of the things she had done while working on a newsletter with Jack, and she had to admit that she was excited about being a part of this latest adventure. Sure it was going to be dangerous, especially if whoever was responsible for the deaths ever found out about their investigation, but then that was half the appeal.

'I'm out of flyers,' Darryl said, handing his last one to a couple of scruffy-looking youngsters.

'Why don't you just go and talk to that group over there about the party while I hand the last of mine out. Then we'll call it a day.' She pointed to a group of girls further up the street and waited until Darryl was halfway towards them before nipping into a side street. This was the perfect opportunity. It wasn't far from here to where she and May had found the bodies and with any luck she would be able to find out what she wanted to know before Darryl came looking for her. After a couple of minutes she found herself on the familiar street. It became immediately clear, however, that the bodies had vanished. This was definitely the place where she had spotted them and called a reluctant May over to take a look, but now all that was there was the rubbish and building rubble that had been there before. Nothing to distinguish it from any other alley in the city. On a whim, she decided to investigate the alley further, taking a step closer into the shadows.

Suddenly she heard a noise behind her and whirled around, heart racing, to see Darryl refilling the wheelbarrow with the food they had bought after stumbling into a pile of cardboard boxes.

'Darryl!' she cried, annoyed that she had been spooked by him, and that he had managed to find her so quickly. 'What are you doing here?'

'Those girls kind of…ran off…when they saw me coming, then I saw you going down here so I followed you. What are _you_ doing here anyway? The main streets are back that way,' he said, pointing with his thumb. 'It's not safe in this part of the city.'

'I remembered coming this way with May the other day looking for food. One of her contacts lives around here. We could use something extra to take back.' All true, if not exactly the whole truth.

'I thought you said we had enough? I would have come with you if you'd told me.'

'I can take care of mys…' she let out a scream before she could finish what she had been about to say and fell to her knees as somebody pulled hard on her hair. A hooded figure rushed out from the alleyway behind her and she felt the tension ease away from her scalp as the hold on her hair was released. Before she could do anything, however, the figure knocked Darryl clean over - her fellow Mallrat fell to the ground with a sickening thud suggesting that he had not just been pushed - and ran off with the wheelbarrow.

'Darryl? Are you okay?' Ruby asked tentatively, but received no reply. 'Darryl? Help! Please, someone help!'

* * *

In a nearby building the figure tossed the rock darkened with the male's blood atop the vegetables in the wheelbarrow and removed its hood. It hated doing these things itself, but 'assistants' were becoming rare. As it unclenched its fist, it found strands of the female's blonde hair in its hand and chuckled, picking them up carefully and sniffing them. An unexpected prize but this would do nicely. Oh yes. This would do very nicely indeed.

First, though, there was a meeting to attend. Something else that had to be tolerated, but it would do no good to be late.


	21. Crashing The Party

Not knowing where he was going or for how long, Slade stepped out of the mall and onto the street. At least the hard part - getting out unseen - was now over. All that was left was for him to choose a direction. West was as good as any, he thought, and so he started walking. He wasn't completely free, though. There was still the problem of Ebony. He supposed he would have to go back for her at some point, but right now he just needed some space.

The power in the city had still not been restored and so, as it was getting dark, most of the city folk were indoors. A couple of blocks away from the mall, however, he caught sight of a couple of drunkards staggering towards him. Thinking nothing of it he carried on walking but as they got closer he recognised the pair. It was Darryl and Ruby! Hoping it wasn't too late he quickly changed direction and picked up the pace a little.

'Slade?'

_Just keep walking_, he told himself, pretending he hadn't heard.

'Slade! Where are you going? Darryl's hurt!'

'Rats!' he muttered. Back to the mall it was, then. He could hardly walk away now. With a sigh he stopped and walked over to the pair. 'What happened?' he asked, helping Ruby to shift some of Darryl's weight onto himself. He was still hurt and confused about the baby situation, but he managed to push all the questions he had for Ruby to the back of his mind. Now was not the time.

'Ugh!' Darryl complained.

'Someone jumped us and ran off with the food,' Ruby answered. 'And before you ask I didn't get a good look at whoever it was. The coward was wearing a hood.'

'Are you alright?'

'Me? I'm fine, it was Darryl who got whacked in the head! Anyway, where were you going in such a hurry?'

'Oh, nowhere.'

'Mmhmm, did you tell Ebony you were leaving?'

'I wasn't leaving,' he said.

'Whatever you say, Slade. Don't you think I haven't thought about leaving a hundred times?'

'What's stopping you?' he asked. 'Don't tell me you're becoming a city girl now Ruby?'

'No way!' she said. 'But this place isn't so bad. Your problem is you never stick around anywhere long enough to find out.'

In a short while they arrived back at the mall, entering to find Amber strolling around the entrance hall with Bray.

'Oh no, Darryl!' she exclaimed when she saw the group. 'Ruby what happened?'

As Ruby explained to Amber about the attack, Slade went to fetch a chair for Darryl. When he returned a small crowd had congregated at the foot of the stairs. Ellie and Lottie were fussing over Ruby, while Darryl stood a little way off with Amber, holding a hand to his head and looking a little confused. To his dismay Ebony was also there. As soon as she caught sight of his coat and bag she gave him a look that told him she would be having words with him later, and not good ones.

'Guys leave me alone, I'm fine!' Ruby said to the two girls standing with her. Slade went over and put the chair down, helping Darryl into it.

'Thanks Slade,' Amber said. 'Ellie, can you fetch the first aid box from my room?'

Ellie nodded. 'We'll talk later,' he heard her say to Ruby as she left.

'Lottie can you take Bray somewhere less hectic for a while?'

'You mean "get out of the way, Lottie". Don't worry, I'm going.' Always one to know when she was surplus to requirements, Lottie took the baby and left.

'Slade, Ebony,' Amber continued. 'Thanks for the help. I think we've got things covered now.'

'I guess that's our cue to leave,' he told Ebony. She just scowled at him and pushed him towards the stairs. On the way up they passed Ellie returning with the first aid kit. He looked back long enough for him to see her give it to Amber, and for Amber to begin cleaning Darryl's wound, before Ebony gave him another shove. Oh dear. This was not going to be pleasant.

A couple of hours later he found himself lying in bed with his hands behind his head and a smile on his face. Downstairs he heard music and voices, telling him that the party was in full swing. He and Ebony, however, had decided to have a party of their own. After she had stopped throwing things at him, anyway. Perhaps Ruby was right - maybe the city _was_ bearable. For a little while longer, at least.

* * *

Salene frowned as she watched Lex talking to a group of people on the other side of the room. The Technicians had finally managed to restore the power so she couldn't hear what they were saying over the party music, but she had a feeling it was dodgy. For one thing, most of the group had their faces painted to look like some sort of reptile - a dragon, she supposed - and all of them had at least one piercing. They just looked like trouble. She shook her head as Lex began shaking hands with them. They had barely had time to settle back into the mall after defeating the Technos and already the guy was up to his usual tricks! She hoped he knew what he was doing.

'Salene?'

She nearly jumped out of her skin. 'Oh! Hi Trudy!'

Trudy sat down beside her. 'Sorry, did I startle you?'

'I'm just a bit jumpy I guess.'

'Yeah, it's terrible what happened to Ruby and Darryl isn't it?'

'I know, poor Darryl. You don't think…' she mused. 'It's not going to be like the old days again is it? The tribes fighting for power?'

'No,' Trudy reassured her. 'I think once the market starts up properly again everything will settle down, and there's the meeting tonight as well, remember?'

'Oh, of course. The tribe leaders. Who's there for us?'

'They decided to let two representatives from each tribe go, so Jay and Amber.' Salene nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer. 'Are you alright Salene?' Trudy asked after a while. 'You seem a little quiet.'

'Hmm? Oh, it's nothing. It just seems really weird to have people in the city again. I was just getting used to it being empty. Anyway, enough about me, how are you enjoying the party? Seen any cute guys?'

'Ugh, don't ask,' Trudy replied. 'I think I'm cursed. How about you? Has anyone caught your eye?'

'Well,' she said, somewhat reluctantly. 'There is one guy. Over there, do you see him? With the black spiky hair?' She pointed towards a young man facing away from them on the other side of the room. 'I haven't seen his face yet, but…hey! Why are you laughing? Trudy? What's so funny?'

'Salene!' Trudy cried, sounding shocked but amused. 'That's Jay!'

'What? No, that's not…oh no!' she said as the man turned around and gave them a smile and a wave. It was indeed Jay. How embarrassing! Trudy sat next to her with a hand over her mouth, trying unsuccessfully to stifle her laughter. 'It's not funny Trudy!' she said, horrified.

'I'm sorry,' Trudy said, calming down a little. 'It is a little funny though!' She burst into giggles again only this time Salene joined in.

* * *

As the table moved awkwardly through the room, bottles of alcohol clinking on top of it, Ellie frowned and sniffed at her drink. It was definitely water, so she can't have been hallucinating. And if she wasn't hallucinating…

She walked over and sat on the moving table, stopping it in its tracks. Instead, Sammy and Lottie crawled out from underneath. Sammy was the first to notice that the table was no longer moving with them. 'Lottie, quick!' he hissed at his companion. 'Reverse! Reverse!'

'Not so fast, you two!' Ellie interjected as they began to crawl back under the table.

'Ellie!' Sammy said in surprise, scrambling to his feet with Lottie close behind. 'We were just…'

'I know what you were 'just', Sammy. You two were trying to steal this weren't you?' She held up one of the half-filled bottles on the table. Sammy and Lottie looked at each other, searching for an excuse. 'I thought you'd learned your lesson after last time,' she said, referring to the time he drank himself unconscious after taking some of Salene's stash.

'Sorry Ellie,' the two echoed. It may have sounded forced but she was satisfied.

'Good, now go and enjoy the party.'

'Really?' Lottie asked. 'We can stay?'

'Sure, just stay away from the drinks, don't talk to anyone creepy and don't tell Salene I let you stay, she'll kill me!'

'Thanks Ellie, you're the best!' Sammy gushed before the pair of them wandered off arguing.

'I told you that stupid plan wouldn't work, Sammy!' Lottie said.

'What!? It was your idea in the first place!'

Ellie smiled and left the kids to their bickering. Moving through the room she came across Lex, sitting with each arm around a short-skirted blonde. 'Hey babe,' he leered, clearly intoxicated. 'Fancy joining us?'

She sniffed in disdain. 'I don't know what's more disgusting,' she said. 'The fact that you're serious or that you think I might actually say yes.'

'Well, Jack's not…'

'Stop!' she commanded, fire in her eyes. 'If you finish that sentence I'll rip your tongue out and string you up with it.'

'Ew,' one of the girls said.

She started to leave but Lex called out after her. 'Hey! Wait, seriously, there's something I want to ask you.'

Against her better judgement she stayed. 'Make it quick,' she said, folding her arms.

'I'm worried about Darryl. That bump on the head, do you think it affected him in any way?'

'What do you mean? Amber seemed to think it was fine.'

'Well look at him!' he said, pointing across the room. 'Usually he's all over the chicks but tonight he can't seem to get away fast enough! Something's wrong.'

She followed Lex's finger to where Darryl stood talking with a tall redhead. The girl leaned over to whisper something in his ear and he quickly took a couple of steps back, knocking over a table and almost getting into a fight with a burly Demon Dog.

'See what I mean?'

'Lex you are unbelievable,' she said. 'And that's not a compliment,' she added, seeing the look on his face. 'Darryl's not like you. Have you ever considered that he might actually have standards?' The two girls with Lex tutted simultaneously and tossed their hair back, fixing her with a cold stare. 'Oh, you know it's true!' she snapped at them. 'Do you even know the meaning of the word 'monogamy' Lex?' The blank look on his face told her that he didn't. 'I don't know why I'm wasting my time here,' she said. 'Goodnight Lex.'

Leaving Lex and his two floosies behind she decided to go back upstairs to Jack, wondering why she'd even bothered coming to this stupid party.

* * *

Darryl looked over his shoulder to make sure that the crazy girl who wanted to do strange things with vegetables had gone before stopping. Falling into the nearest chair he closed his eyes and breathed a huge sigh of relief. When he opened them again he saw May walking towards him and his breath caught. He stood up quickly to greet her, then wished he hadn't as he clutched his head at the sudden onset of dizziness. It soon passed, however, and he continued undeterred.

'May!' he shouted. She looked at him and the light-headedness returned, albeit for a different reason.

_Quick!_ he shouted at himself. _Say something smart!_ 'Erm…fancy a boogie?'

Fancy a boogie? What kind of 70s nightmare world had that popped out from? Still, perhaps May was a groovy 70s chick at heart?

'What!? Ugh, not now Darryl! I'm busy!' His heart sank. No such luck. It was then that he noticed the two people standing behind her, and not just any old people either - it was Spinner and Cable. How embarrassing. He should have known that May wouldn't be coming over to see him. The two Technicians were both looking at him. Cable showed no emotion whatsoever, while Spinner just smirked at his bandaged head.

He turned back to May. 'Ah. Okay, maybe later then,' he said. She rolled her eyes and led the two Technicians away. He sat back down meekly.

'There you are, my little turnip!' a familiar voice came from behind him. He jerked his head around to see Crazy Vegetable Lady looming over him, her spiky red hair looking like flames as it caught the light. He thought about pretending to faint but before he could put his plan into action he was saved by a shout from Lex.

'Darryl! Get over here, we're about to start!'

'Sorry lady,' he said gleefully. 'But I promised I'd help with the raffle.'

'That's too bad,' she pouted. 'But it's okay, I'll be waiting for you.'

With a shudder he quickly got out of the chair and all but ran to Lex's side. 'Let's do this!' he said with a huge grin on his face and rubbing his hands together eagerly.

Lex gave him a funny look. 'It's just a raffle, Darryl,' he said.

* * *

Gel took a long swig of the homemade punch brought by one of the guests and immediately regretted it. Ugh! It tasted like vegetables! Curling her lip in distaste she poured the contents of her plastic beaker back into the bowl and refilled it from the water jug. It was official, this was the worst party ever. The punch was bad, the music was worse and the people were boring. As she contemplated going to bed she suddenly saw a familiar face across the room and almost choked on her water. It was him! The guy who'd saved her that day at the warehouse! Hoping he hadn't seen her yet she turned around and dug out a mirror from her bag.

'What a mess!' she told her reflection, rearranging her hair. When she was finally satisfied with the end result she put the mirror away, took a deep breath and turned around again, only to find herself face to chest with the man in question. Startled, she let out a scream and threw her drink at him.

'Oops!' she said quietly, reaching inside her bag for a handkerchief with which she began to dab at him. 'I'm so sorry!'

'Don't worry about it,' he told her. 'It's only water.'

She stopped dabbing. 'I'm sorry,' she said.

'I shouldn't have surprised you like that,' he said. 'I just saw you and had to come over. It's Suzy isn't it?'

She frowned. 'No, I think you must have mistaken me for someone else,' she said sadly. 'My name's Gel.'

'Oh,' he said, looking confused. 'But it was definitely you in the warehouse. That's what that guy called you. I didn't think that it might not be your real name.'

'Oh!' she exclaimed, suddenly understanding. 'You remembered that? That's so sweet! No, I'm definitely Gel. And you are?'

'Creg,' he said, holding his hand out.

She took his hand and flashed him a smile. 'Gel,' she said.

'I think you told me that several times already,' he said, smiling. She laughed nervously. 'Hey! You're a Mallrat!' he said, noticing the pentagram on her hand.

'Is that a bad thing?'

'No, no!' he said. 'I just didn't realise you were a Mallrat. It's kinda cool, I never really met one before.'

Gel smiled. 'Thanks!' she said. 'Do you want something to drink?'

'Sure,' he said. That punch looks…'

'Ew, no, trust me you don't want the punch.'

'Oh, okay, well water it is then I guess.'

He reached out for the jug but she stopped him by putting her hand over his. 'I have a bottle of wine in my room,' she said, batting her eyelashes. 'If you'd like to join me.'

Creg gulped. 'Um…I…I'd love to,' he stammered.

She held out her hand for him to take and led him up the stairs to her room. When they arrived Bonnie was sitting on her bed playing with a doll.

'Gel! You're back!' the little girl cried, before noticing Creg and fixing him with a cold stare. 'What's he doing here?'

'Bonnie, manners!' Gel chided. 'Why don't you go and find Lottie and Sammy so Creg and I can talk?'

Bonnie sighed and left the room with her doll, still glaring at Creg. 'Wow,' he said after she had left. 'She's very…protective, isn't she?'

'I guess she is,' she shrugged. 'Must be all that time she spent on the streets.'

'On the streets?'

'Yeah, the poor girl. Amber found her after the evacuation. She'd been abandoned.'

'That's awful! So you took her in?' Gel nodded. 'You're a great girl, Gel,' he said.

'Anyone would have done the same,' she said, slightly embarrassed.

'No they wouldn't,' he said, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. 'Not in this world. I think you're very special.' And with that he kissed her.

She wasn't sure she deserved all the praise he had given her but she wasn't about to complain either. Instead, she just threw her arms around him and enjoyed the moment. It was official, this was the best party ever.

* * *

Jay stood with Amber in the basement of the mall, each of them on one side of the door, greeting the tribal leaders who had arrived for the meeting. He kept touching the short black spikes on top of his head self-consciously.

'Stop doing that!' Amber whispered. 'I already told you, it looks fine! You're as bad as Gel!'

'Sorry,' he mumbled. 'Is that everyone then?'

'I think so. Should we go in and start? Jay?'

He had been distracted by the appearance of May, followed closely by Cable and Spinner. Cable glowered at him and Spinner arched an eyebrow at his new style, prompting him to touch his hair again.

'You got room for any more?' May asked. 'These two want in.'

'What for?' Jay asked. 'I thought you wanted no part in city politics?'

'There's no reason not to let them in, Jay,' Amber said. 'They are a tribe after all, and this is a meeting for all tribe leaders. May, can you fetch another couple of chairs?' May nodded and left. 'The Mallrats welcome the Technicians to this meeting,' she said to the new arrivals. 'And I thank you on behalf of our tribe for restoring the power.'

The pair nodded at Amber but ignored Jay completely, and went inside. 'What was all that for?' Jay spat. '"The Mallrats welcome the Technicians"? I don't trust them!'

'You've changed your tune. Whether you trust them or not we still have to be civil,' she pointed out. 'Or this meeting will be a disaster.'

Jay ground his teeth in frustration. As far as he was concerned, it already was a disaster.


	22. The Last Dance

May stood at the back of the crowd watching the raffle. She didn't think much of the whole thing but there wasn't anything better to do. Darryl was standing at the front with Lex, parading the prizes around as they were called out, like a model on some tacky game show. She was surprised that he hadn't resorted to wearing the jewellery he was holding up.

'Has everyone got their tickets ready?' Lex asked, the same question he had asked before every prize. The crowd grumbled impatiently.

'Get on with it!' she heckled, receiving a cheer.

'Thank you May,' Lex replied, shooting daggers from his eyes. 'Alright then, the winner of this beautiful set of jewellery is…number 262! Where's number 262?' An ugly man with his skin painted green like a lizard's stuck his hand in the air. A girl with long, white hair clung to him adoringly. 'Well done sir!' Lex said. 'An excellent present for your lady friend.' The girl squealed in delight until the man grabbed her and pulled her away from the crowd. 'Don't forget to come and collect your prize later!' Lex called out after him.

The raffle continued without further incident and May soon found herself being distracted by a conversation two girls next to her were having.

'Isn't he just dreamy?' One of the girls asked her friend. May rolled her eyes. Another young fool under Lex's spell.

'I heard he's a Mallrat,' the other one said. 'Aren't they like celebrities around here?'

The first girl laughed. 'Have you been living under a rock since the Virus, Tammy?' she said. 'Anyway hands off! I saw him first.'

May stumbled forwards as another girl, older and with flaming red hair, elbowed her out of the way to get to the other two. 'Sorry girls,' she said, not sounding sorry at all. 'But he's already spoken for.'

Getting bored of the argument, and annoyed at being pushed out of the way, May turned her attention back to the raffle. Darryl spotted her in the crowd and waved to her, and she quickly looked away. Stupid boy. Why did he have to look at her like that? She couldn't think straight when he kept staring at her all the time.

'See! He waved at me!' the redhead announced proudly. Wait, they were talking about Darryl?! Suddenly she smiled as she thought of a way to get back at him for being so annoying.

'Excuse me,' she said in her sweetest voice, but the girls ignored her and continued their bickering. 'Hey!' she shouted. That got a reaction out of them.

'What do you want?' the redhead sneered, looking down her nose at her. Were they carrots hanging down from her necklace?! The other two girls stood on either side of her with their arms crossed. Whereas moments earlier they had all been ready to kill each other, now they stood together against what they saw as a common enemy.

'I just thought I should let you know,' she told them. 'That the guy over there, the one you're all besotted with, isn't who you think he is.'

'And who is he exactly?' the redhead asked, humouring her.

'He's the guy who pretended to be Zoot,' she said. The younger girls looked shaken but the redhead was going to need more convincing.

'And how exactly do you know all this?' she asked.

In reply she lifted her arm so that the pentagram on her hand was clearly visible. 'She's a Mallrat too!' one of the younger girls cried. 'She must know the truth! Come on Tammy, let's go!' That left one.

'I still don't believe you,' she said stubbornly.

'Take a look for yourself,' May said, gesturing to Darryl. 'Doesn't he look…familiar?'

The girl squinted at him for a while, then her eyes widened. 'The pig!' she muttered, and stormed off. May laughed. She wasn't sure exactly how sabotaging Darryl's relationships was going to help her situation, but it had felt good.

* * *

'Get off me!' Amber snapped as Jay pulled her out of the meeting and into the corridor. As he let go of her she rubbed her arm. 'There was no need to be so rough!' she said.

'What were you doing in there Amber?' he asked. Some apology.

'What do you mean?' she said, confused. 'I was trying to help set up a peaceful society! I thought we both were, but apparently the plan's changed.'

'This isn't funny Amber!'

'I'm not laughing here!' she said. 'I just don't understand what I've done that you find offensive enough to drag me out here, in front of all the tribe leaders no less! It's hardly going to do our standing any good if they think we're divided.'

'You told them you weren't going to run for city leader!' he said, ignoring most of her comments.

'I didn't want them to think we were trying to take over,' she said. 'You didn't seriously expect me to stand did you?'

'You have to!' he pleaded. 'The city won't survive five minutes without you at the helm.'

'What?!' she spluttered. 'No! We both agreed that you would look after the tribe while I spent more time with Bray.'

'Yes, so you could concentrate on running the city once the next elections were held.'

'We never talked about that!'

'I thought it went without saying!'

'No Jay!' she said. 'I'm not ready for this! If I can't handle one tribe I'm not going to be able to deal with dozens of them!'

'But I thought…'

'Well you thought wrong!'

Jay opened his mouth, searching for words. 'Please, Amber,' he said finally. 'You have to stand for city leader. We have to be able to supervise things, at least until everything gets back to normal. Especially with the Technicians hanging around.'

'But you said yourself they weren't interested in running the city,' she sighed. Sometimes talking to Jay was like banging her head against a brick wall.

'Then why are they here?'

'They just want to have a say, like everyone else. They won't put up a candidate.'

'How do you know that?' he asked. 'I don't trust them!'

'Well if you're so bothered about them why don't you stand for leader? Why does it have to be me?'

'If I thought I had any chance of winning then I would, but you're the one that they trust.'

'I can't do it Jay,' she said.

'Please Amber!' he repeated. 'You know this won't work without you, and you won't have to do it on your own. I'll help you, we all will!'

At that moment another pair of leaders came down from the mall, a man in a long coat with green-painted skin and a pale-skinned girl with long white hair and a skimpy black outfit. 'Sorry we're late!' the girl giggled, eyeing up Jay before the pair of them went into the meeting.

'Come on Amber,' Jay said after they had gone. 'You don't want a tribe like the Skinks ruling the city do you?' She closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. The most infuriating part was that he was right. She didn't really trust any of the bigger tribes to be in charge of the city, but surely there was another way? 'We have to go back in there soon,' he said, hurrying her for an answer.

'You have to promise me,' she said slowly. 'That if I agree to this, you'll help me. I can't do it alone.'

'Of course,' he said, smiling.

'I mean it Jay,' she said. 'You can't force me into this and then just leave it all to me.'

'I promise,' he said, more seriously this time.

'Then I'll do it,' she said quietly.

'Thank you,' he replied. They shared a kiss then went back into the meeting. She felt as if she were walking to a trial. Her own trial.

* * *

Ruby smiled and shook her head as Darryl was accosted and promptly slapped by an irate partygoer. It was nice to know that his head injury hadn't affected him in any way. Turning away she was surprised to see two figures dressed in Technician uniforms sitting alone in a corner. Seeing this as an opportunity to get more information on the mysterious new tribe she went over to talk to them.

'Mind if I join you?' she asked.

'Erm, no, go ahead,' one of them, a young woman with short blonde hair, said, sounding a little surprised. Her friend, a dark-haired man, looked suspicious.

'You're Technicians right?' she asked.

'Guilty as charged,' the girl said. 'Not many people recognise us yet, so I'd say you were a Mallrat, only you don't look like a city girl.'

'Right on both counts,' Ruby said. 'I came to the city with…a friend. I haven't been here very long so you probably know the place better than I do!'

'Oh I don't know,' the girl said. 'We didn't get out much when we were in the Technos did we Tag?' The guy next to her grunted in agreement. 'We thought we'd get more chances to get into the city when we left but Cable can be an even harder slave driver than Ram and Mega were, sometimes! I'm Link by the way,' she said, offering her hand.

'Nice to meet you Link. I'm Ruby.'

'So Ruby, what drove you from the country?' Link asked. 'Usually when people move it's the other way round.'

'It wasn't like that,' she said. 'I loved it out there. I ran a little saloon in a town called Liberty, ever since the Virus. I came here following a guy,' she admitted. 'Only he went and died on me.'

'Bummer,' Tag said.

Link gave him a funny look. 'He must have been a great guy,' she said.

Ruby laughed. 'That's not a word most people would have used, but then you can't help who you fall for can you?'

'No you can't,' Link agreed, sticking her tongue out at Tag.

'This is going to be one of those girly talky things isn't it?' he asked. 'I might go…mingle, or something.'

'Is he always this sociable?' Ruby asked when he had left.

Link laughed. 'He's alright once you get to know him,' she said. 'Now, where were we?'

* * *

Trudy smiled as Tobin told her again how beautiful she was. She couldn't believe it, he was smart, funny, handsome - everything she could ever want. And he was still interested in her after half an hour of talking.

'You're not listening to a word I'm saying are you?' he said, smiling.

'Sorry!' she laughed. 'I'm not used to all this. Meeting someone, I mean. It's all a little overwhelming!'

'Yeah? Well what say we overwhelm you a little more?' he said, kissing her.

'What do you mean?' she asked in between kisses.

'How about we take this to your room?' he whispered in her ear.

She stepped back, stopping the kisses. 'Ah,' she said. 'We can't do that.'

'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I'm making you feel uncomfortable, aren't I?'

'No, it's not that,' she said. 'It's just that, well, my daughter's sleeping upstairs.'

'You…have a kid?' It was said casually enough, but she could tell he was losing interest.

'Her name's Brady,' she said. 'She's an angel, I think you'd like her.'

'I…I have to…'

'Don't bother,' she said with a sigh. 'I've heard them all before. If you want to leave just leave.'

'I'm sorry,' he said quietly before moving away and into the crowd. She took a swig out of the nearest bottle. She had been sure he would understand! He seemed so…mature, but as usual she had been wrong. Feeling the tears welling up in her eyes she quickly headed upstairs and into her room. She laughed at herself for crying. It wasn't like she needed a man in her life right now, but there did seem to be a growing feeling that she would never be able to find someone who wouldn't run a mile when they found out she was a single mother.

* * *

Ellie was sitting reading to Jack when Ruby poked her head through the curtain.

'Oh. Sorry,' she said. 'I'll leave you alone.'

'No, Ruby wait,' Ellie said. 'We're just about done here anyway. How are you?'

'Oh, not bad. Bit of a noisy neighbour problem at my place so I thought I'd pop in and see if you were still up.'

'Ebony and Slade are still fighting then?'

'No, they're making up.'

'Oh.'

'Yeah.'

'Okay,' she said. 'Moving swiftly on. How was the party?'

'It could've been worse,' Ruby said. 'It's winding down now, most people seem to be leaving. The leaders are still locked away downstairs though. They must have a lot to talk about.'

'Yeah, I hope it's going well.' She gestured for Ruby to take a seat.

'Thanks,' the other girl said. 'So, I was talking to a Technician earlier.'

'They came to the party?'

'Yup, there's a couple of them at the meeting too, one of them being our friend Spinner.'

'I bet Jay's really pleased about that,' she said sarcastically. 'He's had a bee in his bonnet ever since he got back from the power station.'

'There's definitely something odd about her,' Ruby agreed. 'Although Link says she's always like that, you know, a bit aloof?'

'Be careful with this Link, Ruby. I don't trust any Technician, especially one who knows Spinner.'

'You trusted her about Jack.'

'That was different,' she reasoned. 'I didn't know her then.'

'You still don't. Why don't you come and meet Link for yourself? She's alright.'

'She's still here?'

'No, she went back to the power station, but she said she'd get in touch soon to arrange a night on the town. You could come with us.'

'A girls' night out with an ex-Techno? I don't think so.'

'Why not? It'll be fun.'

She sighed. 'I'll think about it. You two really became friends didn't you?'

Ruby shrugged. 'Apparently being a Techno was a pretty lonely job, and it's not like I know anyone in the city, apart from you lot of course. And the supplier I used for the saloon, but he's not exactly someone I'd want to meet for coffee and cake.' The two shared a laugh.

'Well just be careful!' Ellie said. 'For all we know it could be the Technicians who've been bumping off the Technos, and if they did then they might have been responsible for what happened to you and Darryl today.'

'But that was just some kid after a bit of food, surely?' Ruby said, sounding shocked.

'Maybe so, but it just seems like too big a coincidence to me, happening in exactly the same place as you found the bodies?'

'Wow,' Ruby breathed. 'When you put it like that…' Ellie stifled a yawn, which did not go unnoticed. 'Sorry, I should go!' Ruby said.

'No it's fine really. I just haven't been getting much sleep lately.'

'Have you and Jack been making any progress?'

'Not really,' she admitted. 'Not at all in fact, but it's bound to happen soon right?'

'I hope so,' Ruby said diplomatically. 'I don't really know how these things work.'

'Me neither,' she said.

'Have you tried getting him out of bed? Walking him around a bit?'

'No,' she said. 'Just the exercises Spinner showed me. He's too heavy for me to do that by myself.'

'You should have said something,' Ruby said. 'I'll help you. If you want me to, that is.'

'Really? Would you mind trying now?'

The two girls managed to lift Jack out of the bed and slowly began to drag him around the room. Ellie lost count of how many times they went round in circles. Finally though his weight became too much for them and they had to put him back to bed. The two girls collapsed on the floor and Ellie began to cry again.

'I'm so sorry,' Ruby said, putting a comforting arm around her friend. She was almost crying herself.

'It's not your fault,' Ellie managed to say. 'It just hurts to see him like this.' She blew her nose on the tissue offered by Ruby. 'Will you…will you help me try again tomorrow?'

The other girl nodded. 'Of course I will.'

Ruby stayed until Ellie's tears had stopped. Usually she didn't like people seeing her cry, but she was glad Ruby had been there. She just hoped that her friend knew what she was doing, getting involved with Technicians.

* * *

Darryl hummed quietly to himself as he picked up the rubbish from the floor and put it into a bag. The tribal meeting was still taking place downstairs but it had gone on so long that even those people who had been waiting for their leaders to come out had long since gone. He was surprised, therefore, when he heard footsteps approaching, and even more surprised when he looked up to see May walking towards him. After last time, though, he decided it would be better to wait for her to speak before saying anything.

'Darryl what are you doing?' she asked him, rubbing her eyes. 'Wouldn't you rather be in bed?'

'I just figured I'd make a start on the cleaning,' he said. 'It saves people doing everything tomorrow.'

'Can I give you a hand then?' She asked.

He shrugged. 'If you like.' She picked up a plastic bag and deftly began sorting through what could be reused and what couldn't. It didn't seem like she was about to bite his head off so he dared to start a conversation. 'Um, May?' he said tentatively.

'Yeah?'

'What did you say to the tall girl?'

'Tall girl?'

'Yeah, red hair, blue eyes. Wears carrots around her neck?'

'Oh, her. I…didn't say anything. Why would I?'

'I saw you talking to her,' he said. 'You pointed at me, she got mad, then she came over and slapped me!'

'And that's my fault is it?' she said, getting angry. 'Maybe she just didn't like you. Despite what you think you are not God's gift to women.'

'Hey wait, I think you're getting the wrong end of the stick here!' he protested. 'I'm glad you said what you did, maybe now Crazy Vegetable Lady will leave me alone. She was kinda scary!'

'Crazy Vegetable Lady?'

'Sure, that's what everybody calls her,' he said. 'Well, maybe not everybody. Mostly me. In fact only me, but she is!'

May laughed. 'You are one strange guy, do you know that?'

'Is that a good thing?'

'I'm not sure yet,' she said. 'Listen, for what it's worth I'm sorry I was so rude earlier. It wasn't your fault, it was those Technicians, strutting about demanding I take them to the meeting. Who do they think they are?'

'Yeah!' he agreed. 'Hey, are you ready for that dance yet?'

'What dance?'

'I asked you before if you wanted to dance and you said 'not now', but not now then is not not now now right?'

'Pardon?'

'You know. Not now now is not the not now not now was then, was it?'

She scratched her head. 'I have no idea what you just said but if I dance with you will you stop talking?'

'I think I can do that.'

'Alright it's a deal,' she said. 'Now shut up and stick some music on before I change my mind.'

He all but dived over to the CD player in his eagerness, pressing the button to play a random song. To his delight, it was a slow one.

'We are not dancing to this!' she proclaimed, marching over to the machine to switch songs. He quickly moved in between her and it to stop her.

'No!' he cried. 'The CD player has chosen! It's bad karma to go against its wishes!'

'Are you serious?'

He nodded. 'Ancient Chinese proverb.' She gave him a murderous look.

'Let's just get this over with,' she sighed, grabbing him and leading him to a clear space on the floor. 'And don't try any funny business!' she warned him.

The dance started off a little awkwardly, but May soon gave in to the music. She was a great dancer, and he was sure she was enjoying herself. He even thought she looked a little disappointed when the music stopped and they pulled away from each other.

'Fancy another?' he chanced.

'No,' she said quickly, blushing slightly. 'I should be going now. Don't stay up too long cleaning.' She turned her back on him and headed off to the room she shared with Salene. 'And if you tell anybody about this,' she called back. 'I'll break your kneecaps!'

He stood there grinning for a while after she had gone. 'Oh yeah,' he said to himself. 'She wants me.'

* * *

'Alright everyone,' Jay said. 'Close your eyes and throw your stones onto the floor, then we can all go home. Ready? Now!' Amber heard the clattering of stones as they hit the ground and knew even before she opened her eyes what the outcome would be. Several different colours were present on the floor, but the white stones, her own colour, far outnumbered the others. It was done. She was city leader. 'Congratulations, Amber,' Jay said, smiling broadly, and the whole room - with a few exceptions - gave her a round of applause. The Skinks openly snarled at her, while the Technicians, although clapping, had unreadable expressions on their faces. She had no idea what they thought of her appointment. They had barely said a word all evening. Looking around she gave a weak smile and thanked everybody, but inside she felt numb. The trial had ended, and now she feared it was time for the execution.


	23. What Mega Knew

Refreshed from her morning shower, Trudy came out of her room and surveyed the damage from the night before. As she suspected, it would take most of the morning to clean up the lower mall, though it wasn't half as bad as she remembered. Deciding to take the opportunity while Brady was still asleep to grab a quick coffee she made her way to the café, where she was surprised to see people already up and about. Darryl was humming cheerfully by the coffee machine while Gel was sitting at one of the tables with her tongue shoved halfway down some random guy's throat. It was exactly one week since the city had been in a panic over Mega's virus but looking at the scene in front of her it was hard to believe that anything out of the ordinary had happened. Perhaps it hadn't. Survival had become so much a part of daily life since the Virus that when things like this happened people were scared, yes, but they dealt with them and moved on.

'Trudy!' Darryl beamed as he turned away from the counter. 'Coffee?'

'Thanks,' she smiled, gladly accepting the drink he gave her. 'Who's the guy?'

'No idea,' he grinned. 'They don't untangle themselves long enough for me to ask.'

'Well they seem to be enjoying themselves anyway,' she said.

'Love's young dream!' Darryl sighed wistfully.

She narrowed her eyes. 'Alright, something's definitely up,' she told him. 'Nobody should be as happy as you are this early in the morning. It's unnatural! Did you meet somebody too?'

'All in good time, Trudy!' he said, tapping his nose conspiratorially. 'All in good time!' Picking up another cup of coffee he left the café heading in the direction of his room with a definite spring in his step. As she watched him go she saw something move at the corner of her eye; it was Bonnie, peeking around a corner and apparently spying on Gel and her new boyfriend.

'Oh, hi Trudy!' Gel said suddenly. She sounded out of breath and was fanning herself with her hand. 'How long have you been standing there?'

'Long enough!' she laughed. In the short time she was distracted Bonnie had disappeared. 'So,' she said, joining Gel and her man at the table. 'Are you going to introduce us?'

'Sure!' Gel said happily. 'Do you remember I told you about how I was kidnapped last week?' Trudy nodded. 'Well Creg here is the lovely man who came to my rescue! We met up last night at the party, isn't that just so random? Creg, this is Trudy, my best friend in the mall.'

'Nice to meet you Trudy,' Creg said, finally managing to get a word in.

'And you, Creg,' she replied. 'What tribe are you with?'

'Oh he's not part of a tribe,' Gel explained. 'They disappeared after the Technos invaded, just like mine. Aren't we just so perfect for each other?' She smiled at him, clearly besotted, and he smiled back.

'What were they called?' Trudy asked.

Creg paused for a moment before answering. 'We called ourselves the Circle,' he said. 'I haven't seen any of them since the Technos arrived.' The name meant nothing to Trudy, although it reminded her of some sort of creepy brotherhood, like the Chosen.

'He can stay here can't he Trudy?' Gel asked. 'Join the Mallrats?'

'Who's joining the Mallrats?' Lex asked, suddenly appearing in the café. 'Nobody joins this tribe without my say so, got that? Who are you anyway?' he said, addressing Creg.

'His name's Creg, Lex, and he's my boyfriend if you must know,' Gel answered for him. 'Creg, you don't want to hang around with Lex, he's a bad influence.'

'I was talking to pretty boy,' Lex said. 'Or doesn't he speak? Are you dumb? I guess you must be to fall for Gel, but then you're not after her brains are you?'

Creg looked angry at Lex's attack on his girlfriend but Gel butted in before he could reply. 'Unlike _some people_ Lex, Creg isn't only after one thing. In fact he was the perfect gentleman last night; he slept on the couch.'

Lex laughed out loud at this new piece of information. 'Now I _know_ there's something wrong with him,' he said. 'Why are you really here?' he asked, banging his fists on the table and leaning menacingly over the other man. 'Are you spying on us for your tribe? Is that it?'

'I don't have to listen to this!' Creg yelled, standing up suddenly and causing his chair to scrape violently on the floor. 'Sorry Gel but I'm leaving.'

'Hit a raw nerve did I?' Lex smirked as Creg walked away.

'Lex!' Gel shouted, giving him a slap that only made him laugh. 'Creg! You'll be here tonight won't you?' The poor girl sounded distraught.

'Just you try and stop me!' he replied, although Trudy wasn't quite sure whether this was aimed at Gel, Lex or both.

'Wimp,' Lex muttered as the other man left.

'Why couldn't you just be happy for her Lex?' Trudy said reprovingly. 'At least somebody was lucky in love last night. One mention of Brady and the guys couldn't get away from me fast enough.'

'Well what do you expect?' he said as if she were stupid. 'No man wants to be lumbered with another guy's kid.'

'He does have a point,' Gel grudgingly admitted. 'You need to go on a few dates first, make sure they've fallen for you, and _then_ tell them about Brady.'

'I can't believe you two!' she exclaimed. 'No, actually this is exactly what I would expect from you Lex, but I thought you would be a little more sympathetic Gel! Brady is not a part of my life that I'm ashamed of! I'm not going to hide her away like some dark secret! I love my daughter and if a guy doesn't accept that we come together then he's just not somebody I want to be with, end of story.' Angry with the pair of them she got up and stormed away from the table.

'Hey! Where are you going?' Lex called after her.

'I'm going to my room if that's alright with you!' she snapped back.

'Well, no, it isn't actually,' he said. 'I'm calling a meeting. Five minutes, by the fountain.'

She rolled her eyes. 'Can't it wait?' she asked acidly.

'No,' he said simply. 'It's important. I need everybody to be there.'

'Fine, then I'm bringing Brady, since she's a member of this tribe too!'

'You can bring the rats for all I care,' he replied. 'Just make sure you're down there in five minutes. You too Gel.'

Gel sighed and stretched her hands out in front of her, apparently contemplating whether or not she had time to do her nails beforehand. Trudy went to her room to fetch Brady. She didn't like taking orders from Lex but she knew that he wouldn't call a meeting unless it really was important.

* * *

It was more than an hour before everyone was finally assembled in the mall's central courtyard. It was still early and most people had been sleeping off the night before, but that was no excuse! If they knew why he had called this meeting in the first place they would have all been down in a flash! The last to arrive were Jay and Amber, with Bray, who came and stood next to Trudy and Gel, with Brady and Bonnie, at the bottom of the stairs. Gel was blowing on her nails. A little further along were Ellie, Ruby, Lottie and Sammy, while Ebony and Slade stood on the stairs, away from everyone else. Salene, May and Darryl were by the fountain, closest to Lex.

'Can we get on with this now?' Ebony asked, looking bored.

'Yeah, come on Lex,' Ellie agreed. 'I should be helping Jack with his exercises.'

'Well if you lot hadn't been so lazy we could have been finished by now!' he said.

'You know you really didn't need to call this meeting Lex,' Jay said. 'We were going to tell people what happened last night once everyone had recovered from the party.'

'Yes, what happened at the meeting?' Salene asked. 'Did the tribes agree to work together?'

'Better than that,' Jay answered. 'We've already formed a tribal council and appointed a new city leader.'

'Really? Who is it?' Trudy asked.

Jay nudged Amber and grinned. 'It's me,' she said quietly and the room erupted into celebration with people wanting to congratulate her. Lex was not amused; his meeting had been hijacked before it had even begun! Bending down, he picked up a saucepan he had brought along for just such an occasion and started to bang it with a spoon. Everybody turned to look at him.

'You can all smother Amber some other time,' he said. 'This isn't why I called a meeting.'

'Why did you call the meeting then?' Lottie asked.

'I was getting to that,' he said through his teeth.

'Oh, this had better be good,' Ebony moaned.

'It will be if you all stop interrupting!' he snapped. When he was convinced that he had everybody's full attention he continued. 'I know where our missing friends are,' he said proudly. Groans of disbelief drifted from the assembled Mallrats. 'What? Don't you think I'm smart enough to find out?' he asked.

'That pretty much sums it up,' May smirked.

'It's true! It was Mega himself who told me!'

That didn't go down well either. Ebony openly laughed. 'And why would Mega tell you where they were?' she asked.

'In exchange for his freedom of course.'

'So it _was_ you who let him escape!' she said. 'I knew it!' Suddenly everyone was turning against him.

'How could you Lex?'

'…can't believe you would be so stupid!'

'…trust Mega of all people!'

He banged his saucepan again. 'I can't believe you people!' he said once the clamour had died down. 'Don't you want to find the rest of our tribe? Tai San? Cloe? Alice? What about Bray?'

'Bray's dead Lex!' Amber fumed. 'I saw the files myself. It said he'd been deleted.'

'That's not the same!' he argued. 'Look, I was talking to an ex-Techno, goes by the name of Fish. He said he was in charge of transporting prisoners, and that 'deleted' just means they were shipped out.'

'Shipped out where?' Salene asked.

He dug out a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. 'Here,' he said. 'Mega drew me a map. All the prisoners who were taken from the city ended up on this island.' Finally people were starting to take him seriously!

'What did he look like?' Jay asked thoughtfully.

'Who?'

'This 'Fish' guy. What did he look like?'

'Tall, slim, short dark hair.'

'That doesn't narrow it down much!'

'Hold on! I'm thinking! He had some sort of scar just above his eyebrow.'

'Sounds like Flash,' Jay said. He _was_ responsible for transportation.'

'Thank you! Now do you all believe me?'

'Ved,' Jay whispered.

'Yes, Ved, Bray, they could all still be alive!' Suddenly black flecks appeared in front of his eyes. It took him a moment to realise that Amber had slapped him. That was twice so far today and it wasn't even lunchtime. He could be in for a new record. 'What was that for?' he asked.

'Because you knew all this and you said nothing!'

'I wanted to wait until everything was ready!'

'So you could get all the glory you mean. I'm the mother of his child! I have a right to know!'

'Wait,' May said. 'What do you mean ready?'

'You know, supplies and stuff. If we can organise a group now we could leave first thing in the morning.' Excited murmurs came from the rest of the tribe.

'And how exactly do you plan to get there?'

'The same way we were going to leave the city. Your friend with the boat.'

There was a sudden silence. 'I don't think he's going to want to take us anywhere soon,' Ellie said.

'What did you guys do?' he asked. Nobody answered. 'Well thanks for messing up my plan guys!'

'It _could_ still work,' May said slowly. 'He might still take you, but not me or Darryl. He'll want payment upfront though, and it won't be cheap.'

'But we don't have anything to trade!' Salene said sadly. 'Why are you grinning Lex? It's not funny!'

'Come on,' he said. 'You didn't think I was going to let all those presents go to waste did you?'

'You _fixed_ the raffle?' Amber said, sounding appalled.

'But I was watching the whole time!' May said. 'You gave everything away!'

'Which is exactly how it was supposed to look,' he bragged. They didn't need to know about the deal he had made with the Skinks, trading winning tickets for half the prizes they got. The muttering grew louder, with everyone condemning his little scam. What was with them? It wasn't like he'd robbed an orphanage or anything. It was their stuff in the first place! 'Hey!' he shouted. 'HEY!' He banged the saucepan again until everyone was listening. 'Bigger picture here people! Do you want to get our friends back or not?' Nobody spoke. 'Good! Now who's coming with me?' May and Darryl were already out, and Amber had to stay to run the city, but Ebony quickly volunteered, dragging Slade along with her despite his reluctance. He was also slightly surprised to see Salene raise her hand.

'I want to come,' she said. 'Maybe Ryan's out there somewhere.' Lex nodded. He missed Ryan too.

'And me!' Sammy cried. 'I want to go too!'

Lex snorted. 'Forget it kid.'

'I'm not a kid! I can do this!'

'Just drop it!' Ebony said. 'We don't want to have to be keeping an eye on you all the time. You're not coming and that's that.' Ruby tried to put an arm around Sammy but he just shrugged it off. Did the kid really believe that they were going to let him tag along?

He looked at Jay. 'We're going to need you there with us, Jay,' he said. 'We don't know what we're going to find on this island, and you know the Technos better than any of us.'

'He can't go,' Amber said.

'Amber,' the blond told her. 'This could be my only chance to find Ved! And don't you want to know if Bray's out there too?'

'That is not the point, Jay!' she said. 'You promised!'

'I know, and I'll be there for you, just as soon as I get back.' Amber gave him a disgusted look and stormed off to her room. 'This had better be worth it Lex,' he said.

'Of course it will,' he replied. 'You'll see. We'll have everyone back again in no time.' It was really happening, and soon he would have Tai San back in his arms where she belonged. He'd had her once and let her slip away again, but he wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

* * *

'Amber, can't we talk about this?'

'No Jay, we can't,' she said, grabbing his clothes and a pair of boots from the wardrobe and throwing them out of the room. How could he do this to her? 'The only reason you managed to talk me into this was because you promised we could do it together, but the first opportunity you have you go swanning off on a wild goose chase with Lex of all people!'

'It's not like that!' he said, ducking to avoid a flying shaving kit. He winced as something cracked when it hit the floor. 'These are exceptional circumstances! If there are still Technos on that island then I could make all the difference. You still have the rest of the tribe here to support you. I thought you'd be happy that Bray might be alive.'

'Bray is dead, Jay! Now get out!'

He stood silent for a few seconds then turned and walked away. Lying down on her bed she closed her eyes and repeated those three words over and over in her head. 'Bray is dead. Bray is dead. Bray is dead.'

* * *

Ebony took a deep breath before steeling herself and marching into Ruby's room. The other girl was lying on her bed reading a book while Lottie was sitting playing on the floor. Ebony gave the little girl a sharp look and she quickly took the hint and hurried out of the room.

'Don't you knock?' Ruby asked tartly.

'And ruin the element of surprise?'

'What do you want Ebony?'

'Look don't make this harder than it already is okay?' she said, fiddling nervously with her hands.

'Make what harder? What are you talking about?'

'I know you remember what happened that day. With the truck.' She took another deep breath; it was now or never. 'I just wanted to tell you that…I'm sorry.'

'Sorry?' Ruby laughed. 'Would you still be saying that if I _had_ been pregnant?'

'Look I said I'm sorry! It's up to you whether you accept it or not. It's no skin off my back if you don't because quite frankly I have no intention of being your friend. I've said what I came here to say.'

She turned to leave but Ruby wasn't finished. 'Did Slade put you up to this?' she asked.

'Slade has no idea what happened and if you tell him you'll regret it!'

'Poor Ebony,' Ruby mocked. 'Are you scared that he'll leave you and come back to me? That's why you're so keen on going to this island isn't it? You don't care about any missing Mallrats, you just want to get him as far away from me as possible!'

Deciding she had heard enough she walked away from Ruby's room, her face contorted in rage. 'Bon voyage, Ebony!' Ruby called after her.

* * *

That evening Lottie went to Gel's room as usual to find Bonnie. Her friend was sitting on her bed looking rather sullen, although she brightened up a little when she saw Lottie. The girl had been in a sulk the whole day, apparently because Gel was now paying more attention to her boyfriend than to her. Gel herself was sitting at her dressing table, getting ready for her date.

'Hi Lottie,' she said, catching sight of her in the mirror. 'Is it alright if Bonnie stays with you and Ruby tonight?'

'Sure,' she replied. 'You look really nice Gel,' she added.

'Thank you Lottie, that is so sweet!' Flattery would get you everywhere with Gel.

'Actually,' she said. 'Bonnie and I were thinking that maybe we could move in with Sammy.' She looked over to Bonnie, who was biting her lip anxiously, and gave her a reassuring nod.

'Really?' Gel asked, turning away from the mirror to look at them. She looked a little upset.

'Yeah,' Bonnie said. 'We spend nearly all our time together anyway, and you and Ruby deserve a little space.'

'Well, if that's what you want.'

'It is!' Bonnie said.

'Then I guess it's fine by me. I'm going to miss you though. I mean, I know you'll only be down the hall but it'll be strange with you not here.'

'I'll visit,' she said, then a little more quietly 'When _he's_ not here.'

Lottie looked on as the two girls hugged and then started to head out with Bonnie. Before they got to the door, however, she thought of another question. 'Gel?'

'Mm?' the older girl mumbled as she put her lipstick on.

'Have you seen Sammy recently?'

'Not since the meeting. He's probably still sulking somewhere if you ask me.'

'Alright then. Bye!'

Bonnie stopped her as soon as they left the room. 'Has Sammy disappeared?' she asked.

Lottie nodded. 'He has. And I think he might have done something stupid.'

* * *

Sammy rubbed his hands together as he walked along the seafront. It was a chilly night and his breath was misting up in front of him. Not for the first time he wished he was back at the mall, but he had to show them that he could do this. That he was a man. As he approached the docks he saw the trader's boat at the end of the quay. A light inside the fisherman's hut told him the trader was home. He would have to be careful sneaking onto the boat. He was paying so much attention to the hut that he didn't notice the feral cat crossing his path until it was too late. He stepped on its tail and it miaowed noisily. Startled, he fell into a stack of crates which toppled over with a loud crash. He just had time to duck down behind the remaining boxes before the door to the hut burst open and the trader staggered out clutching a bottle.

'Who's there?' the man shouted. When nobody answered he came forward and approached the crates. Sammy could smell the alcohol on his breath and held his own so as not to be detected, and to block out the smell. Thankfully he was rescued by the reappearance of the cat; it jumped up on top of the crates and started hissing at the trader. 'Cooking fats!' he slurred. 'Stop disturbing my rest or next time I'll skin you, and eat you!' The cat took no notice so the man went back inside and slammed the door. A soft thud immediately afterwards indicated that he had collapsed in a drunken stupor, so Sammy took his chance and ran the rest of the way to the boat, climbing on board and hiding underneath a pile of blankets where he lay shivering for the rest of the night.


	24. Beginnings

_Note: Unfortunately I have now come to the end of the chapters I have already posted elsewhere, so new updates will come when I am able to write some more. Thanks again for all the comments!_

The water glittered as the sun began to rise over it, illuminating the group of people at the docks. Trudy stifled a yawn as she surveyed her companions, all here to wave off the search party they were sending to the island, and to help carry down the items Lex was going to use to pay the trader for the voyage. That was part of the reason why they were here so early - Lex didn't want anyone else seeing his love nest, where he had stored everything. She watched as he stood over the goods with the trader, occasionally pointing something out as being of special value. She couldn't hear what the pair were saying but the trader certainly seemed to be shaking his head a lot. She looked around to see what the rest of the tribe were up to. Not everyone was here of course; May and Darryl had stayed behind after what happened last time they had used this boat, and Ellie had decided to stay with Jack. Sammy was nowhere to be found when they had left, and Amber hadn't shown up yet either.

'I'm sure she'll be here soon,' she told Jay, who was standing next to her.

'Forget it Trudy,' he sighed. 'She's not coming.'

'Did she tell you that?' she asked.

'She didn't have to,' he replied. 'She kicked me out of our room yesterday after the meeting. I spent last night renewing my relationship with Darryl's couch.'

'Oh, I'm sorry Jay, I didn't realise,' she said.

'It's my fault,' he sighed. 'I promised her I would stay and help her run the city. It's the only reason she agreed to do it in the first place.'

'I'm sure she'll understand,' she said. 'In time. Once you come back with everyone.'

Jay laughed. 'You really believe what Lex said, don't you?' Oh, don't get me wrong, I hope he's right, I honestly do, but Amber's right in not getting her hopes up. If the prisoners ever were on that island there's no guarantee they still will be, especially now the Technos no longer control the city.'

'I trust your judgement Jay. You thought that Fish was the right person, and that's good enough for me.' She clasped his hands in her own. 'And don't worry about Amber. We'll make sure she's ok.'

'Thanks Trudy,' he said, hugging her, then added 'I never deserved you.'

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, she mumbled something sympathetic and stepped out of the embrace. All she wanted to do was forget about their relationship! Why did he have to bring it up again?

'The scumbag wants the lot!' Lex fumed, coming over to them. 'Otherwise he won't bring us back. He says it's for loss of trade and the extra passengers on the return journey. Can you believe this guy?'

'What did you expect?' Ebony asked as she and Slade joined the conversation. 'You brought everything you had here with us. He was hardly going to settle for part of it, was he?' She shook her head as if she couldn't believe how stupid Lex had been.

'Maybe if you'd told us all sooner we could have negotiated a price with him beforehand,' Slade added. Lex just scowled and walked off.

The trader gave orders to his associate, Arto, to lock his payment away in the hut then called for everyone who was leaving to get onboard the boat, although in a less polite fashion.

'Well I guess this is goodbye Trudy,' Jay said, slinging his pack over his shoulder. 'Take care of her for me. You never know, maybe the time apart will be good for us.' He looked hopeful, but not entirely convinced.

'Goodbye Jay,' she said. 'And good luck. I hope you find Ved.' He smiled gratefully. 'Oh,' she added. 'And make sure Lex and Ebony don't kill each other.'

'I'll try. I can tell this journey is just going to be heaps of fun!' As Jay took his place on the boat, she went to stand by Ruby and the kids, who were saying goodbye to Salene. Brady saw her approaching and ran to her excitedly.

'Mommy!'

'Hi darling!' she replied, lifting Brady into her arms. 'It's time for Salene to go now kids. Have you all said goodbye?' She was answered by a trio of nodding heads.

'Take care Salene,' Ruby said, hugging the other girl. 'We'll miss you.'

'Good luck, Sal,' Trudy added.

'You look after your Mommy for me,' Salene said, addressing Brady. 'I'll see you soon, okay?' she told the two older girls.

'Here, take this!' Lottie chimed, opening her backpack to reveal a sleeping bag. 'It might come in handy.'

Salene smiled. 'Thank you Lottie, but we've got sleeping bags already, and we don't want to take more than we can carry.'

'But it's just one sleeping bag!' Bonnie argued. 'And you'll need it for…'

'For if it gets really cold,' Lottie interrupted.

'That's very kind of you,' Salene laughed. 'But you keep it okay? It can get pretty cold in the mall too!' Lottie and Bonnie looked at each other, sighed and walked away, while Trudy shared a bemused look with Ruby and Salene. 'Well, I'd better be going,' Salene said. 'Take care of yourselves.' She readjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and walked off to join the others on the boat.

'Wait!'

Trudy turned around, hoping to see Amber, but that shrill cry could only have come from Gel. She had been standing further back with Creg but now she ran towards the boat, hopping aboard daintily and throwing her arms around Lex. 'Lex you're a pig and I hate you but be safe!' she said in one big rush.

'Yeah,' he replied, a little taken aback. 'You too.'

Looking decidedly embarrassed, Gel returned to Creg's side and clung to his arm. Trudy smiled in amusement. 'That's enough!' the trader spat. 'If you wanted a farewell party you should have had one back at the mall. I'll take you to this island of yours, but I'm the one in charge here and we leave now!'

'Then cast off already!' Ebony glared from the boat. The trader was clearly affronted by this comment but was too scared of her to say anything about it. Instead he quietly untied the boat from its mooring and jumped aboard to start the engine. The boat moved off and Trudy and the rest of the group at the dock waved goodbye to their friends until it was a good distance from land and everyone had gone into the cabin. Trudy continued watching until it disappeared from sight altogether. Suddenly feeling the cold she shivered and turned to the others.

'We'd better get back to the mall,' she said.

Gel and Creg led the way, and Trudy fell in with Ruby behind them, with Brady walking alongside. Lottie and Bonnie kept their distance at the back, exchanging angry whispers.

'Those two are up to something,' Ruby pronounced. 'And it sounds like trouble.'

'I'm sure it's nothing,' Trudy laughed. 'They're probably just blaming each other for not being forceful enough with Salene over the sleeping bag.'

'Hmm.' Ruby sounded unconvinced.

'They'd have been better off trying to give her blankets or food if you ask me,' she continued. 'I mean, a sleeping bag seems a bit of a strange choice don't you think? Ruby?' It took her a moment to realise that Ruby had stopped, turning around to face the two girls with her hands on her hips.

'Alright you two,' she said firmly. 'I'm going to ask you a question and you're going to tell me the truth, got it?' The girls nodded in unison, smiling sweetly. 'Good. Where's Sammy?' The smiles immediately faded and the pair exchanged worried glances. Trudy gasped as she realised what Ruby had already figured out. Sammy was on the boat.

* * *

Through the dirty window, Slade could just about make out the coastline going by as the boat continued its journey to Lex's mystery island. There was nothing particularly interesting to see out there, so he turned his head to survey the cabin. Most of the space was taken up by the group's provisions. The floor was littered with piles of blankets, sleeping bags and rucksacks of various sizes. Opposite him Salene sat sleeping with her head on Jay's shoulder. Jay himself seemed deep in thought, a troubled look on his face, whether about Amber, his brother, or something else Slade couldn't tell. Lex and Ebony were in the bow with the trader.

Needing some fresh air he left the cabin and went to stand out on the deck. Steadying himself on the railings he closed his eyes and let the cool spray hit his face. He laughed. How had he ended up here? Just a few months ago he had been roaming the countryside, searching for his brother. Now Josh was dead, his bike was rusting in Liberty if it hadn't already been stolen, and he was stuck on this boat, looking for people he didn't even know, and all because Ebony didn't trust him not to leave her for Ruby.

'Slade?' Ebony came out onto the deck and stood beside him. 'Is everything alright?'

'I would have come with you, you know.'

'What do you mean?' she asked.

'If you really wanted to find the rest of the Mallrats, I would have volunteered too. You didn't give me the choice.' Ebony turned her head away from him, unable to say anything. 'You don't have to be jealous of Ruby.'

She whipped her head back around to face him. 'Yeah, well can you blame me? After everything that's happened? How am I supposed to compete with _her_?'

'You don't have to compete,' he told her. 'In case you hadn't noticed, you're the one I'm with, not Ruby.' He didn't think he would ever understand women, especially ones like Ebony. Perhaps that was part of the reason why he loved her.

She put her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. 'I'm sorry,' she said. 'You're wrong, though,' she added after a while. 'About the Mallrats.'

'In what way?'

'Alright so you're not completely wrong,' she explained. 'It's no secret that most of them I couldn't care less about, but I do miss some of them. Very much so. I wouldn't have come all this way just to avoid Ruby.' She looked at him and he knew she was telling the truth. Letting go of him, she went back inside and he paused for a while before following her. Inside the cabin Salene had woken up, but the mood was still subdued. With a sigh he fell into one of the piles of blankets, and was surprised when they let out a grunt and a figure rolled out from underneath him.

'Sammy?!' Salene cried.

'What are you doing here?' Ebony shouted. 'You were told to stay at the mall!'

'I'm more use here!' Sammy argued. 'I'm not a kid anymore. You had no right to leave me behind!' Ebony looked at the younger Mallrat like he was something unpleasant she wanted to scrape off her boot.

Suddenly the door to the bow swung open and Lex marched out. 'What's all the yelling about?' he demanded, then saw Sammy. 'How did you get on here?'

'Nobody gets a free voyage on my boat!' the trader's voice boomed from the bow. 'If there's a stowaway on board you either pay passage or we're going straight back where we came from.'

'But we gave you everything we've got!' Lex complained.

'Not my problem!' The trader said gleefully. 'We agreed five passengers to the island and you've got six, so if you don't want to cut your little vacation short then I suggest you get rid of someone sharpish. I'm a fair man, I don't mind who goes.'

'With pleasure,' Lex snarled at Sammy, whose eyes widened in fear.

'This is ridiculous!' Salene said indignantly, standing up. 'Lex, don't you dare!'

'Why not, Sal?' Give me one good reason! I'm not giving up on Tai San because of one stupid kid!'

Salene gave Lex a disgusted look and barged past him to talk to the trader. 'You're right that we only agreed to bring five people, but we also agreed on an unlimited number to take back to the city. We don't even know if we're going to find our friends once we get there so don't act like you're getting a raw deal! We've paid for Sammy's passage a dozen times over already, so just keep moving!' The trader muttered something inaudible to Slade, but Salene seemed appeased and came back out into the cabin. 'Get back in there with him Lex,' she demanded. 'Before I decide to throw _you_ overboard.' Lex angrily obeyed, and Salene went out onto the deck to cool off. Sammy sat down on the bench, trying to avoid the stares Ebony was giving him and looking like he wished he was back at the mall. Slade sat down next to Jay.

'I hope this journey doesn't take too long,' he said. Jay just nodded in agreement.

* * *

By the time they reached the mall, Ruby had managed to find out from Bonnie and Lottie that they didn't know for sure that Sammy was on the boat, but she would bet her saloon that he was. She blamed herself for not realising it sooner.

'Should we go tell Amber about Sammy?' Lottie asked.

'I think I'd better do that,' Trudy told her, then whispered to Ruby 'I'm not sure what kind of mood she'll be in.' She walked off with Brady in the direction of Amber's room, while Ruby left the girls to go and see Ellie. As she reached the top of the stairs she saw May in her room, busy writing.

'Hi May!' she said, but the other girl was too preoccupied to notice. She crumpled the piece of paper she was writing on into a ball and began again on a fresh sheet. Ruby shook her head and carried on walking.

'Hi Ruby!' Ellie said as she entered the room. 'How did it go at the docks?'

'The guy drove a hard bargain, but agreed to take them to the island. It looks like they're in for a bit of a surprise though. It seems Sammy stowed away on the boat last night. I managed to get it out of the girls but by then it was too late.

'Really? He was pretty upset about not being allowed to go but I didn't think he would do something like that. Oh dear, Lex and Ebony won't be pleased.'

'Exactly. Salene and Jay will look after him though.'

'What about Slade?'

Ruby laughed. 'Who knows where Slade's concerned? He seems to be wrapped around Ebony's little finger these days.'

'I wouldn't be so sure,' Ellie mused. 'I think he's smarter than that.'

'If you say so.'

She was glad when Ellie changed the subject. 'Isn't it great that all the people who went missing from the city could still be alive?' she said, smiling.

'Definitely,' Ruby agreed. 'Wasn't your sister taken by the Technos?'

'Alice,' Ellie nodded, a little sadly. 'If anyone survived it'll be her. I miss her so much. She didn't even want to stay in the city. It's my fault she was here in the first place.'

'If she's anything like you,' Ruby said, trying to comfort her friend, 'I'm sure that's not true.' Ellie smiled.

Suddenly the lights flickered out. 'Great, a power cut,' Ellie moaned. 'I thought the Technicians had sorted everything out?'

A scream came from downstairs. 'Maybe this has nothing to do with the Technicians,' Ruby replied, and the two girls ran downstairs to see what had happened.

'Ruby!' Bonnie cried and ran towards her when she got to the bottom of the stairs.

'What is it?' she asked, as Darryl arrived from another part of the mall.

'A man!' Bonnie sobbed. 'Outside! He gave me this.' She handed Ruby an envelope, marked on the front with the Mallrat pentagram.

'Darryl, make sure there's nobody still outside,' she told her friend. He nodded and went to check the entrance.

'Is that a message, for us?' Ellie asked. 'What does it say?'

Ruby opened the envelope and silently read the note, before passing it to Ellie.

_Mallrats,_

_You cannot change what was meant to be. You have only succeeded in postponing the inevitable. The time of pestilence will come and you will all pay the price for your arrogance._

_Plague_

'What's going on?' Trudy called from the upstairs landing, holding Brady in her arms. At the same time, Darryl returned to the courtyard.

'There's nobody there,' he reported.

'Don't worry Trudy,' Ruby replied. 'It's just a power cut. Probably teething problems at the power station. We'd better find some candles in case it's not back on by sunset. Trudy nodded and went back to her room. Darryl did the same.

'What did the note say?' Bonnie asked.

'It's nothing honey, just someone playing a practical joke,' she explained. 'Could you go check on Gel? Make sure she's alright without her hairdryer for a few hours.'

'What was that all about?' Ellie asked when Bonnie had gone. We could all be in danger!'

'It's probably nothing,' she said, trying to convince herself. 'But if it is serious we can't risk Amber knowing about it until we know she can handle it. For now let's just keep an eye out for anything unusual and make sure the kids don't go out on their own. Are you with me?'

Ellie nodded tentatively. 'But we need to be careful,' she added. She handed the note back to Ruby, who folded it carefully and stuck it behind her belt.


	25. Mixed Messages

**_What's this? An update!? Sorry for the wait folks._**

Darryl sighed as he lay with his arms behind his head on the roof of the mall, watching the clouds go by. He had mixed feelings about not being able to be a part of the search party. Secretly he was relieved that he didn't have to go on that boat again - it was cramped and smelly, and he had doubts about its seaworthiness - but he also felt guilty. The fact that he was still here was a constant reminder of what had happened with the trader. And with May. He sighed again, this time remembering the dance he had shared with her after the party, the way she had felt in his arms and the scent of her soap in his nostrils. The slight flush of colour in her cheeks afterwards, and of course the threat to break his kneecaps. He chuckled. Perhaps one good thing that had come of what had happened on the boat was the two of them being left here together. Not exactly alone but at least with Salene gone it would be easier to see her. Those girls spent an annoying amount of time together.

Hearing activity from the street below he got up and looked over the edge of the building. It was the rest of the tribe, coming back from seeing the search party off at the docks. Trudy and Ruby led the kids inside while Gel stayed behind to say goodbye to Creg. Not wishing to watch any further he moved away from the roof's edge and went back into the building. Shivering slightly as he moved back into the warmth he walked down the stairs to the upper level of the mall and into his room. As he crossed the threshold he felt the unmistakeable crunch of paper underneath his boot. Bending down he picked it up; it was an envelope, slightly crumpled now, with his name written on it. Curious, he stuck his thumb underneath the flap to open it, but at that moment the light in the room flickered and died, along with those in the rest of the mall. A power cut, only this one was followed by a scream from downstairs. Quickly stuffing the note into his pocket he dashed out of his room and down the stairs, reaching the bottom just as a tearful Bonnie ran in from outside and into the arms of Ruby. Ellie had also come down to investigate.

'A man!' Bonnie cried. 'Outside! He gave me this!' Darryl craned his neck over Ruby's shoulder and just managed to see an envelope - unconsciously he touched the one in his own pocket - before the saloon owner turned to speak to him.

'Darryl, make sure there's nobody still outside,' she said. Nodding he turned and headed for where Bonnie had run in from. Nervously he stepped out of the mall to the rubbish skips. If the man who had approached Bonnie was still around, he would be hiding out here.

'I know you're in there!' he croaked. 'Come out!' There was no answer. He gulped and moved closer, stopping suddenly when a rustling came from a corner. Then something came at him, he waved his hands in front of his face to deflect a blow that never materialised - his attacker was a pigeon. Still slightly spooked he went back inside where Trudy had appeared on the landing with Brady.

'What's going on?' she asked as he reported back to Ruby.

'There's nobody there' he said.

Ruby smiled and turned back to Trudy. 'Don't worry Trudy,' she said. 'It's just a power cut. Probably teething problems at the power station. We'd better find some candles in case it's not back on by sunset,'

Thinking this was good advice he went back to his room to hunt for candles.

* * *

Ushering Ruby into a corner by the entrance grille, Ellie dropped her voice to a whisper. 'Are you sure we're doing the right thing?' she asked. 'Keeping the note to ourselves?'

'Like I said,' Ruby replied. 'It's probably nothing.'

'But what if it isn't?'

Ruby paused a moment before she answered. 'If this 'Plague' is serious then I think we'll hear from him again. Think about it, why bother warning us? He's clearly playing some sort of game, and when nobody pays him any attention he'll either give up or contact us again. We might even be buying ourselves some time by not doing anything.'

Ellie nodded hesitantly. What Ruby was saying seemed to make sense but she still felt uneasy about the whole thing. The idea that an unknown enemy had his eye on them was quite frankly disturbing.

'Tomorrow we can scout round the city, see if anyone has heard of this 'Plague,' Ruby said.

'Alright,' Ellie agreed. 'But if we find anything, if he might be a threat, we have to tell Amber.'

Ruby nodded. 'And everyone else,' she said.

'So what do you think the note means?' Ellie asked, feeling more relaxed. 'If it is real.'

Ruby got out the note and unfolded it, frowning in thought as she read it over once more. 'Clearly he doesn't like that the virus was stopped, which is quite worrying. He seems to think he can bring it back again.'

'But that's not possible,' Ellie insisted. 'Is it? I mean, it's all gone. The Technicians…' she paused. 'You don't think they could have anything to do with this?' She pointed at the note in Ruby's hand. 'Once a Techno…'

'No,' Ruby said quickly. 'I can't believe that.'

'Maybe you just don't want to,' Ellie suggested gently.

The other girl's face softened. 'I know what you're trying to say,' she said. 'I know I don't know Link very well but there's no way she could be involved in something like this. I can tell.'

'Okay,' Ellie said diplomatically. Perhaps Ruby was right but she was still going to keep an eye on the Technicians. Better to be safe than sorry after all.

A noise outside alerted the pair to somebody entering the mall. Ruby hastily refolded the note from Plague and they retreated into the shadows - from there they saw May through the grille, looking around the corner carefully before dashing inside, adjusting the straps on her bulging backpack as she ran up the stairs.

'Well that was odd,' Ellie mused.

'Indeed,' Ruby frowned.

Ellie shrugged off May's strange behaviour and was about to step out into the courtyard again when she was stopped by Ruby's arm. 'Wha…?' she began, but the other girl gestured for her to keep quiet.

'Look,' she whispered, pointing out beyond the grille. Ellie narrowed her eyes as she saw Spinner loitering in the entrance corridor, tapping the walls and occasionally making notes on a handheld computer. As she wandered further into the mall Ruby stepped out from the shadows to meet her. Ellie followed.

'Oh,' Spinner said, noticing them. 'Hello. Your power's gone.' Ruby gestured to the room around them. 'Of course,' Spinner smiled. 'You already know. I just came to see what caused it. It seems rather strange that only your building was affected.' Ellie clutched her stomach as the feeling of unease about Plague's note began to grow again.

'You got here quickly,' Ruby stated questioningly.

Spinner smiled again. 'Quite by chance I happened to be inspecting the power grid for Sector 10 when you went out, so I thought I'd pop along to see what was going on. Do you mind if I have a look around? It shouldn't take too long.'

'Can we stop you?' Ellie muttered under her breath.

Ruby shrugged. 'Be our guest,' she said. 'It would be nice not to have to read by candlelight tonight.'

'I'll see what I can do,' Spinner grinned, turning to walk further into the mall. After a few steps she turned back and innocently asked 'Is Jay around?' Ellie fought back a giggle.

'Jay's gone away for a while,' Ruby replied. 'Down the coast with Lex and Ebony.'

'What a shame,' Spinner frowned. 'Oh well, back to work I suppose.' She turned to walk away again. 'Oh, wait!' she suddenly said. 'I almost forgot, where can I find Ruby?'

'I'm Ruby.'

'Well that makes my job easier,' said Spinner. 'This is for you.' She produced an envelope and waved it in front of the two girls. Ellie and Ruby looked at each other. It couldn't be, could it? Not so soon after the first one?

'It's from Link,' Spinner said, looking at them strangely. 'She asked me to give it to you as I was leaving the power station.'

'Thanks,' Ruby said, taking the envelope. Spinner walked away - for real this time - to continue her tapping of the building's walls. Ruby opened the letter and breathed a sigh of relief that Ellie found herself echoing; evidently it was from Link after all.

'She's been given the day off tomorrow, so she wants me to come out to the casino with her and Tag tonight.' Ruby smiled. 'Fancy coming along?'

'Are you serious?' Ellie asked flatly, raising an eyebrow. That was probably the thing she least wanted to do right now, especially after the note from Plague and her suspicions about the Technicians.

'Sure,' Ruby replied. 'Why not? It'll be fun, and you need a break.'

She was unconvinced by Ruby's reasons but the more she thought about it the more she realised that if the Technicians really were behind the note then she couldn't just let her friend go off alone with them, especially when she had already been attacked.

'Oh alright, you've twisted my arm,' she said eventually.

'Excellent!' the other girl chimed. 'Meet me here after dinner?' Ellie nodded and watched her friend go back to her room. She stood in thought for a while, trying to suppress the niggling doubts in the back of her head about Link, Spinner and the decision not to tell anyone about the note, before doing the same herself.

* * *

It was beginning to get dark and still the power had not returned. Darryl was lying on his bed, keeping himself occupied by playing a battery-powered computer game. Becoming aware of someone else's presence he looked up to see a figure silhouetted against the door frame. As his eyes adjusted he realised that it was Spinner.

'Don't mind me,' she said. 'I'm doing a few routine checks, just pretend I'm not here.'

He watched in bemusement as she began knocking on the walls with some sort of instrument. 'What are you doing?' he asked her. 'Checking for rats?'

Spinner chuckled. 'Something like that,' she replied. 'There, all done.' She closed the computer she had been using to measure whatever it was she was measuring. 'I won't take up any more of your time.'

As she left he got up from the bed and went to stand by the last bit of wall she had tested. He put his ear to it but couldn't hear anything so he tried knocking on it as well. Still nothing, but a shuffling noise from the doorway indicated that, once again, he was not alone. Peeking around the corner were Bonnie and Brady, both giggling at him listening to the wall. 'Rats,' he told them sagely, pointing at the offending brickwork. This set them off even more and they ran away laughing and screaming. Darryl sighed heavily and stuck his hands in his pockets. That Bonnie was a strange girl, and it looked like Brady was starting to follow in her footsteps. Feeling paper against his fingers he realised that he still hadn't read the note he had found in his room earlier. Removing it from his pocket he stepped outside his room where it was lighter so he could read it - and saw Amber coming straight towards him carrying a mountain of paperwork and looking behind her to tell off the girls for almost tripping her up on their way out of his room. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

'Amb…' he began, but it was too late. 'Argh!' The pair collided, and while he was able to catch and steady his fellow Mallrat her paperwork was not so lucky. It flew up in the air and landed around them like giant snowflakes.

'Great,' Amber sighed. 'A whole day's work down the drain.'

'Sorry Amber,' he said sheepishly.

She shook her head. 'No, it's my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going.'

'What are those anyway?' he asked while helping her gather up the rogue papers.

'Oh, only the whole workings of the city,' she moaned. 'Petitions, complaints, the odd bit of fan mail.' His ears pricked up at that.

'Really? Who for?'

'Mainly for Lex,' she said in a tone that registered her disapproval.

'Oh,' he said sadly.

'And all meticulously sorted by tribe and importance,' she continued. 'Or at least it was. Come on, let's go put these away before anything else happens to them.' Having collected about half the papers each he followed her to her room where they put them down in a messy pile on her desk. 'Thanks for that Darryl,' she said before flopping down on her bed in exhaustion. 'I can't believe Jay just left me to do this all on my own!'

'But…you're not on your own,' he said, slightly confused. 'There's Ellie and Trudy. And me, I'll help!'

Amber smiled. 'Thanks Darryl,' she said. 'But if I let everyone else get involved it'll be like the Mallrats are running the city and the other tribes won't like that. The leaders chose me as their representative, not the tribe. More's the pity.'

'Oh right,' he said. 'But they can't expect you to do everything by yourself. Hey! I've got it!' A plan was beginning to form in his head. 'Let me be your PA! I can sort through all the letters and stuff, make sure only the really important ones get to you. What do you think?'

'I don't know Darryl,' Amber said, sounding unconvinced. 'It's a nice thought, but…'

'Aww come on,' he persisted. 'At least give it a shot. You'll have less paperwork, plus you'll get to spend more time with Bray.' Not to mention how impressed May would be once she saw him in a position of responsibility.

Amber smiled. 'When you put it like that…alright then, it's a deal!' She held out her hand for him to shake. 'You are now officially a government employee!'

'Awesome!' he grinned, taking her hand. May would be all over him once she heard about this!

* * *

Ellie hummed to herself as she sat in front of the mirror, brushing her hair by candlelight. Glancing past her reflection to where Jack lay motionless as ever on the bed she felt a pang of guilt at leaving him on his own tonight, not that she was going to be out enjoying herself of course. Not when she had to keep an eye on Ruby and the Technicians.

'I won't be out long,' she promised Jack. 'I'm sure Ruby won't want to stay out all night anyway.'

She paused, hoping for some kind of sign, wanting him to tell her that it was alright to go. Or even to get angry and forbid her from going. Anything really. Only the steady rise and fall of his chest told her he was still there, somewhere.

The soft hum of electricity accompanied the return of light to the mall and small cheers arose from other rooms. Instinctively she blew out the candle, conserving the precious wax for the next emergency. It seemed that Spinner had finally figured out what was wrong and fixed it. It had taken her long enough. As if thinking about the dark-skinned woman had somehow summoned her, she arrived in the doorway looking none too happy.

'I have spent all day in this stinking hole,' she spat. 'And I find that someone had turned off the main power switch in the basement.'

'Didn't you think to check there first?' Ellie asked politely. She was in no mood to have a slanging match with the other woman tonight.

Spinner's cheeks coloured but she didn't challenge the statement. 'You should tell the younger ones that it's dangerous to play with electricity.'

'They already know that,' Ellie said, and Spinner opened her mouth to protest. 'But I'll have a word with them anyway,' she finished. The Technician gave a satisfied nod then looked over at Jack.

'How is he?' she asked. 'Still no change?' Ellie shook her head. 'I had hoped he would have shown some signs of recovery by now, but I suppose it's early days yet.' Her frostiness lifted and she smiled sympathetically at Ellie.

'I don't know what else I can do,' the blonde sighed. 'I've done all your exercises and more but still he just lies there.' She threw her hands up in exasperation. 'Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get him back.'

'There is one thing,' Spinner said hesitantly. 'You remember I talked about artificially stimulating his brain through the headset? We have enough power to do it now, if you like.'

'Didn't you say that could cause even more damage?' Ellie asked.

'It's possible,' Spinner admitted. 'A small chance, but not small enough to overlook. It's up to you.'

Ellie stared for a long time, first at Spinner, then at Jack, then back at Spinner.

'How long would it take?' _Why am I even considering this!?_ _It could kill him._

'I can't spare the time at the moment,' Spinner replied. 'In a few days perhaps, but once it starts it's hard to say how long the process will take. It could be minutes, it could be days, weeks even. Every brain is different.'

'Jack's is the best,' Ellie smiled, going to his bedside and stroking his cheek. 'Better than Ram's, even Mega's.' _After all my fears about their motives, I'm asking one of them - her! - to do this…_ She turned back to Spinner. 'I think I'd like to try it.' _I'm sorry Jack but I can't live without you, I need you!_

Spinner nodded. 'I'll let you know when I'm ready,' she said.

As the Technician left, Ellie turned to Jack. She hoped she was doing the right thing, but of course he could give her no sign. She finished getting ready to go out in silence, what she had just agreed to weighing on her mind, then said goodbye to Jack. She paused at the door to wait for a response that never came, as she always did, then with a heavy sigh she ducked out through the curtain to meet Ruby in the courtyard. She was starting to think that perhaps her friend was right - she did need a break.

_

* * *

_

_No, no, no!_ Jack thought. _Please Ellie, don't!_ He had heard her talk to him about Spinner and the Techincians - and her suspicions of them - on many occasions, and he didn't trust them at all. She must be desperate if she was going to let them wire him up to a headset again. The very thought sent shivers down his spine. If only he could convince his body to move! It should be so simple but he felt like crying, the number of times he had tried to lift a finger, to open his eyes, and failed. Now he faced the prospect of having his brain fried by a machine, and he was terrified. _Open your eyes!_ he screamed inside his head. _Open your eyes! Open your…_ Light! He could see it, blinding and wonderful! One second, two, then darkness again. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Progress! That beautiful word, held in high esteem by scientists the world over. He had all but given up but now here was the breakthrough he needed to boost his spirits. Now if only he could show Ellie before she brought in the Technicians. _Oh Ellie! Please hold on! Don't let them do this to me!_


	26. Getting To Know You

Darryl woke the next morning to the sound of a baby crying, bringing back memories from before the Virus, looking after his nephews and nieces when the adults went out for the night.

'What?' he cried, suddenly jolting awake. 'Where am I?' Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he saw that he was in a chair in somebody else's room. Amber's room, he realised; she was standing over Bray's cot, gently rocking him. 'What time is it?'

'Breakfast time!' Amber said cheerily, nodding to a rack of toast on the cabinet next to him. 'You fell asleep as I was explaining the intricacies of democracy,' she explained. 'I was terribly offended!'

'I'm so sorry,' he said through a mouthful of toast. 'I'll learn, I really will!'

'Relax,' she laughed. 'I was only joking, there'll be plenty of time for all that. Right now I'm just glad you stayed last night, I really enjoyed the company. And so did Bray, didn't you little man?' Bray just smiled obliviously.

'It was fun!' Darryl agreed. 'I didn't realise you…I mean, erm.' he trailed off.

'That I wasn't serious and bossy all the time?' He started to protest. 'Don't worry, I know people say that about me, and I can see why, but I can still let my hair down occasionally. It's just that the city won't run itself.'

'And that's where I come in!' he said proudly.

Amber smiled. 'Shall we get to work then?'

'Already?' his face fell.

'That pile of paperwork's only going to get larger I'm afraid.'

'Right. Well I guess we better had then,' he said. 'But let me have a shower first!'

Amber walked him out of the room. 'Thanks again for offering to do this Darryl,' she smiled. 'It'll be a big help. I already feel like a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders.'

'My pleasure!' he grinned. Seeing May coming up the stairs towards them he gave her a cheeky wink. 'Morning May!' he said. 'Are you ok? You look tired.' He wondered if she'd been to bed at all. Seeing him standing there, however, the tiredness in her eyes quickly turned to shock, then hurt and finally anger. Before he knew it she had slapped him and stormed off back down the stairs. 'Ouch!' he complained, touching his cheek gingerly. 'Was it something I said?'

Amber shrugged and went back inside her room, leaving Darryl standing confused on the landing.

* * *

The peace of the early morning in Sector 9 was shattered by four figures emerging from the casino, or rather by three of the four figures. Ruby, Ellie and Link were laughing and joking with each other while Tag, even though he was just as tipsy as the girls, remained his usual quiet self.

'That was brilliant!' Ruby gushed. 'The best night I've had since the Virus! Did you have a good time Ellie?'

'Yes,' she replied after thinking about it. 'Yes I did. I have to admit I didn't think I would but it's been nice just to, you know, forget about things for a while.' Ruby put a hand on her shoulder and the two Mallrats shared a smile. Before she could start thinking about Jack and the letter from Plague again the mood was lifted by Link.

'I can't believe you turned that guy down Ruby,' the Technician teased. 'It's not like there was much talent in that place.'

'I can't believe he started hitting on Tag as soon as I told him where to go!' Ruby replied. The girls erupted into fits of laughter once again, scaring a stray cat that was lurking on the street corner. Tag just grunted, clearly unamused.

'Oh my poor baby!' Link giggled. 'I bet you've felt awfully outnumbered all night with us girls. However can I make it up to you?'

Tag perked up a bit and grinned. 'I'm sure I'll think of something,' he answered, putting an arm around his girlfriend's waist. Ellie and Ruby put a few strides of space between themselves and the loved-up couple.

'Thanks for inviting me tonight Ruby,' Ellie said gratefully to her friend. 'Really, I think it was just what I needed.' She hadn't realised how uptight she had been since Mega was defeated and now she felt as if she could look at things with a renewed clarity. _Or at least I'll be able to tomorrow_ she thought to herself, yawning. A good night's sleep was out of the question of course but there were still a few hours before she had to be up and about.

'Okay guys, this is where we say goodbye,' Tag called as they reached the edge of Sector 6.

'We'll have to do this again sometime,' Link added as the pair turned off towards the power station.

'Definitely!' Ruby agreed.

'Will you two be alright going back to the mall by yourselves?'

Ruby laughed. 'We'll be fine Tag,' she answered. 'We can look after ourselves.'

Link gave Tag a playful punch on the arm. 'You can be so sexist sometimes!' she told him.

'What?' he complained. 'I was just trying to be nice!'

As Tag and Link continued their friendly bickering the two Mallrats waved goodbye and set off once again down the street. 'So,' Ruby prompted as soon as the Technicians were out of earshot. 'What did you think of them?'

'They do seem alright,' Ellie admitted. 'But that doesn't mean I'm crossing _all_ the Technicians off my suspect list.

Ruby nodded. 'I suppose that's a fair point.'

Now that two of their number had departed, tiredness soon caught up with the Mallrats and for some time the walk back home was passed in relative silence, giving Ellie the chance to think things over. She _had_ enjoyed herself tonight, and was even starting to like Ruby's new friends, but she still felt a pang of guilt at leaving Jack on his own, especially after telling him she wasn't going to be long. She was beginning to doubt her decision to let Spinner try the headset on him again but that was something she needed to sleep on so she drove the thought from her mind.

'Are you still up for scouting the city tomorrow?' she asked Ruby. 'Or today rather.'

'You bet!' her friend answered. 'We need all the information on Plague we can get. We won't have long before he realises we're not going to do anything about the letter, then he'll make his next move. We have to be ready for it.'

'Great!' she smiled. 'Now, on to more important matters. Why _did_ you turn that guy down tonight? He was kinda cute!'

Ruby sighed. 'It wasn't him,' she explained. 'I'm just not in the mood for that kind of thing right now.'

'You mean with Plague?'

'Oh no, nothing like that.'

'Then what?'

Ruby arched an eyebrow. 'You're not going to stop until you get answer are you?' Ellie grinned. 'Trust me to make friends with a reporter! Alright then, can you keep a secret?'

'Of course!'

'Before he died,' Ruby paused a moment to gather her thoughts. 'Before he died, Ram and I, we were getting close.'

'You and Ram?!'

'Not a word okay! Nothing happened but I think it was going that way. I hoped it was anyway and I think he felt the same. I miss him like crazy Ellie, he wound me up no end but when we were alone he was different, you know? More open. There's no way I could think about being with anyone else just yet.'

'Wow,' Ellie replied. 'I'm sorry Ruby, I had no idea.'

'It's not really something I can shout about is it?' Ruby snorted. 'Just mentioning his name would get me killed in some parts of the city. Even within the Mallrats he's a touchy subject - his memorial wasn't exactly a sell-out was it?' Ellie blushed as she remembered the torrent of abuse she'd given Slade when he'd asked if she wanted to attend the service. 'But I completely understand,' her friend continued, reading her mind. 'I mean, if I was a city girl I'd probably hate him too.'

'Well,' Ellie said in response. 'Since we're sharing. If it makes you feel any better I once fell for the Guardian's right-hand man.'

'As in the Chosen?!'

She nodded. 'What a pair we are, eh?'

Back in good spirits, the girls laughed and joked for the rest of the way home. As they finally came within sight of the mall they were once again overcome by fits of yawning. 'Do you want a hand with Jack's exercises?' Ruby asked when she could finally speak.

'I think I'll give it a miss tonight actually,' she replied. 'We'll do it before we go out if that's ok.' Ruby nodded.

As they entered the building they heard the sound of running footsteps followed by an irate voice.

'Get out of my way!' May shouted as she pushed past the two girls and ran off into the morning.

'She looked really upset.' Ruby frowned. 'Should we go after her?'

'No,' Ellie asserted. 'She hates for people to see her like that; we'd only make things worse. Better to leave her alone for a while, see if she can sort things out for herself.'

'In that case,' Ruby said stifling another yawn. 'I'm off to bed. I need to be alert if we're going to be trudging the city later.'

Saying goodbye to her friend Ellie returned to the room she shared with Jack, kissing him lightly on the forehead before crawling into the sleeping bag she kept on the floor by the bed.

'I don't know if you're awake,' she said softly. 'But I'm sorry I was out so long. Nothing went wrong, we just stayed out longer than I expected. Ruby's Technician friends are actually quite nice, not that that's an excuse of course.' She paused, still unused to having a conversation where she was the only one talking. 'We're going out later,' she continued. 'To find out what we can about Plague - yes, we'll be careful - so I need to get some sleep now, but I promise I'll help you with your exercises before we go.'

She waited until she was sure Jack was not going to respond, then turned over and went to sleep.

* * *

'Sorry lady we're closed,' the bouncer said authoritatively as May tried to barge past him into the bar. She tried to shove him aside but he was too strong.

'Oh come on I'm not in the mood for this,' she snapped. 'Just let me in, I need a drink!'

'May?' came a voice from inside the building. 'It's alright Gray, let her through.' The bouncer's face showed no emotion as he stepped aside for her.

'New guy, Fin?' she asked her friend in the multicoloured waistcoat and matching bow tie, the bar's owner. 'Or do you have a new policy of turning away regulars?'

'He'll learn,' Fin replied, raking a hand through his curly red hair. 'Now, what can I do you for?'

'Anything, just make it a double,' she said taking a stool. 'And no I don't want to talk about it,' she added as Fin opened his mouth.

She quickly downed her drink and gestured for another one, then slumped forward onto the bar with her head in her hands. How could he have done this to her? The whole tribe knew how he felt about her, and then after the dance at the party she had been surprised to discover that she had feelings for him too, but she had poured her heart out to him in that letter, asked him to meet her in the basement; she'd cooked for him and bought a new outfit and what had he done? Not only had he stood her up but she'd caught him this morning coming out of Amber's bedroom! How could she compare with Miss City Leader?

'Maybe it wasn't how it looked?' Fin pondered. She glared at him and he shrugged his shoulders. Well maybe it wasn't his fault that she'd said all that out loud but she'd told him she didn't want to talk about it! Still, he had a point. With a sigh she rose. 'Put those on my tab Fin,' she instructed.

'You know May,' the bar owner hesitated. 'Your tab's getting a little on the expensive side. You might want to think about paying it off soon. I'm running a business here, not a charity.'

She fished in her pocket and pulled out a pocket watch she had been going to give Darryl, then put it back. She'd give him a chance first, see what was really going on between him and Amber. 'Another day, Fin,' she said apologetically, leaving her disappointed friend pouring himself a drink as she left the bar and headed back to the mall.

* * *

'It seems quiet in here this morning,' Creg mused as he sat in the café drinking coffee with Gel.

'Quiet?' she said, making a face. 'What planet are you on?' She gestured down the stairs to the courtyard where Lottie and Bonnie were noisily playing a game of Technos and Virts.

Creg laughed. 'No, I mean there don't seem to be many people around. What's everyone up to?'

'Oh right,' she said. 'I knew that's what you meant. Ruby and Ellie went out last night, I think they're still sleeping it off. They're getting quite friendly with those Technicians you know.' Creg raised an eyebrow in interest. 'Could come in handy if we have another power cut like yesterday.'

'What about the others?' he asked.

'Not sure,' she replied. 'I haven't seen May or Trudy. Amber's doing politics stuff with Darryl I think.'

'Darryl?'

'Yeah, he mentioned something about a new 'cushy government job' but I forget what exactly, something to do with sorting letters. Oh! Here's Trudy!'

'Morning you two!' Trudy called as she approached them. 'Mind if I join you?'

Creg hesitated but Gel pulled out a chair for her. 'Of course!' she smiled. 'Have a seat!'

'Thanks,' Trudy smiled, then looked more serious. 'I wanted to have a word with you actually Gel, it's about Bonnie.'

Creg straightened in his seat. 'Has she done something wrong?' Gel asked, frowning.

'Oh no, nothing like that,' Trudy explained. 'It's just that, well, last night I couldn't sleep so I came to get myself a hot drink. I hear a noise outside and when I went to check it out I found her sleeping in the rubbish. She asked me not to tell but I was so worried for her. We don't know what happened to her before she arrived here and I thought, with you two being so close, maybe you could talk to her? See if you can find anything out that could help?'

'Are you sure that's wise?' Creg asked.

'What do you mean?' Trudy replied. 'If we can find out what keeps attracting her there we can put a stop to it.'

'Put a stop to what? She's a kid! Kids like dirt.'

'That's not true!' Gel said, mortified. 'I never did.'

'The last thing I want to do is hurt her by bringing up painful memories Creg,' said Trudy. 'But Gel's right, this isn't normal and it's not healthy. Even for someone Bonnie's age. Will you do it Gel?'

She nodded. 'I'll do my best.'

'Thanks,' Trudy smiled. 'I'll get Lottie out of your way so you won't have any disturbances.' She got up, smiling at Creg who still looked unhappy, and went over to the top of the stairs to call for Lottie.

'Lottie! Can you come and help me with Brady?'

'Coming Trudy!' the youngster called back happily, leaving her playmate and running for the stairs.

'Can I help too?' Bonnie asked, following.

'No sweetie,' Trudy replied. 'I only need one of you today. You can help tomorrow alright?'

'Alright,' Bonnie said a little sadly.

'Why don't you come and sit with Gel and Creg?' Trudy suggested before leading Lottie away to find Brady. Bonnie looked even more disappointed, glaring at Creg as she climbed the stairs as slowly as she could. Gel sighed. She had hoped that the little girl would accept her boyfriend but evidently she was still jealous of the time the couple spent together. Bonnie took the seat vacated by Trudy and the trio sat in silence for a few moments.

'Well this is nice isn't it?' she said cheerily. The three of us here together, just like a little family?' For a second she was overcome by a fantasy of her and Creg adopting Bonnie and living happily ever after, but she was brought down to earth when the little girl arched an eyebrow in wry amusement and even Creg allowed himself a small smile. 'Yes well,' she said. 'Why don't we have a little chat, get to know each other better? You start Bonnie. Tell us about your tribe.' Bonnie shot a sideways look at Creg then looked pleadingly at her. 'Oh come on, honey,' she said. 'Creg's a nice guy, just spend some time with him and you'll realise that. I know I haven't seen as much of you lately but that doesn't mean I care about you any less. And haven't you enjoyed spending time with Lottie?' But Bonnie still looked at her with those pleading eyes. 'Oh alright then,' she relented. 'Creg can you get me another cup of coffee?'

'But…' he started.

'Please?' Reluctantly Creg left the table and headed to the kitchen. 'Take your time!' she called after him. 'Now, where were we?'

'What do you want to know?' Bonnie asked timidly.

'Well, you must have had a tribe?' she prompted.

Bonnie nodded. 'To begin with.'

'Were they not very nice? Is that why you left?'

'No,' the little girl insisted, shaking her head. 'I didn't leave, and they were nice, mostly. We were only a small tribe, it was me and my friends from playschool and a few of the older kids, brothers and sisters and stuff. We looked after each other for a while.'

'That sounds nice,' Gel smiled.

'It was,' Bonnie said sadly. 'Then some of the older boys started getting into trouble. They didn't look after us as much and one of my friends died.'

'I'm sorry,' Gel murmured, putting her arm around Bonnie, but the younger girl wasn't listening. She was caught up in the flow of her memories.

'Then things got worse,' she said. 'They all started fighting, then the Mozzies attacked, and then the planes came!'

'The Technos?'

Bonnie sniffed and nodded her head. 'I don't know what happened to my friends,' she cried. 'I ran away.'

She burst into tears and rose from her seat with the intention of running away. Gel caught her hand but she reached across and scratched the older girl's arm.

'Ow!' she yelped, letting go of Bonnie who promptly scampered downstairs. 'Come back!' she yelled, following as fast as she could. By the time she reached the courtyard, however, Bonnie had vanished.

'Hmm,' she muttered disapprovingly. 'Three guesses where you've gone little missy!' Sure enough she arrived at the rubbish skips just in time to see the little girl darting behind a pile of bulging black bin bags. 'Bonnie!' she called. 'Come out please, I want to talk to you.' There was only a sulky silence from the garbage. With a heavy sigh she wrinkled her nose and carefully picked her way through the trash to where Bonnie was hiding. 'Eww, I can't believe I'm doing this,' she complained.

'Leave me alone!' Bonnie warned, but she had delved as deep into the rubbish as she could and Gel was now blocking off her only escape route.

'Now then,' the older girl said, squatting down beside her and clasping her hands tightly in her own. 'What was all that about?'

'None of your business!' Bonnie shouted angrily.

Gel pointed at her arm where the other girl had scratched it. She had drawn blood. 'This makes it my business,' she replied. 'Now tell me, what's the matter?'

'I told you!' Bonnie said. 'I ran away! I let them all be captured, I'm a coward!'

'You're not a coward Bonnie,' she said softly. 'Or if you are then so am I, and so are most of the people walking around this city. How else do you think we're here? We either ran or we hid. Otherwise we'd just be in some slave camp somewhere feeling sorry for ourselves. We've all been there honey, it's nothing to be ashamed of.'

It took her some time to realise that Bonnie was no longer crying but laughing. 'What did I say?' she asked. 'What did I say?'

Bonnie lifted her head and smiled. 'You came through the rubbish for me!' she said gleefully.

'Don't remind me,' she replied dryly.

Bonnie laughed again, then stood up and planted a kiss on Gel's forehead. 'Sorry about the arm,' she said. 'Let's go get cleaned up before it gets infected.'

'I thought I was supposed to be comforting you?' Gel said, confused as they made their way back inside. 'Wait a minute, did you say infected?' She all but sprinted the rest of the way to her room to take a shower.

* * *

Coming back into the mall May climbed the stairs to the upper level with purpose. She had walked off the drink and the anger and was ready to accept Darryl's apology for not meeting her last night. She was sure there would be a logical explanation for his absence, just as there would be one for why he had spent the night with Amber. There was no way he was her type. She walked along the top landing, coming to a stop outside Darryl's room. 'Darryl!' she called. 'It's May. Can I come in? I need to talk to you.' When she received no reply she went in anyway; Darryl was nowhere to be found. Fearing that she had been right all along she decided to check Amber's room. Sure enough as she drew nearer she heard voices coming from inside - Amber and Darryl.

'I don't think I can hold it much longer,' he grunted.

'Just a little more,' Amber begged. 'No, don't put it there! A little more to the left. That's it.'

Shocked and disgusted May ran to her room and threw herself on her bed, feeling utterly humiliated.

* * *

'What have you got in this thing Amber?' Darryl wheezed, propping himself up on the cabinet they had just moved across the room. 'It weighs a tonne!'

'Yeah, sorry about that,' she smiled. 'It's from the antique store, I guess they built things to last back then. Still, we did a good job; we should be able to move that desk out now and stick it outside the office downstairs for you to use. Think you can handle one more lift?'

'Let's get it over with,' he replied, wishing he'd had more at breakfast. He positioned himself at one end of the piece of furniture with Amber at the other end. 'Ready?' he asked. 'And one, two, three, hup!' As they lifted the desk he saw out of the corner of his eye something small falling to the floor. 'Down a second!' he instructed.

'Quit messing around Darryl!' Amber complained. 'We've got lots to do today. There'll be people streaming into the mall in a few hours, and more paperwork on the way - I'm nowhere near finished with the first pile yet!'

'There was something caught behind the desk,' he said ignoring her. He was strangely intrigued by the object. Picking it up he realised it was a photograph. The subject was a young man with messy auburn hair. He handed it to Amber. 'Is that Bray?' he asked.

She smiled as she recognised the photo. 'No, it's not,' she replied, but didn't elaborate. 'Now, let's get this desk out.' Tossing the photo onto her bed she lifted her side of the piece of furniture forcing Darryl to do the same.

* * *

Before long Amber and Darryl had finished fitting out the office she would be using to conduct the day-to-day business of the city, with Darryl's new desk placed in front of the doorway as a first port of call for any citizen with an enquiry or petition. 'Not a bad morning's work,' she said happily.

'Yeah!' Darryl agreed. 'We make a great team!' For some reason she found herself blushing. 'Do you fancy a coffee before the crowds arrive? There's still plenty of time.'

'Sure,' she agreed. 'Why not. You go on ahead, I'll just fetch the paperwork down.' As Darryl wandered off to the café she returned to her room. Picking up the photograph again she allowed herself to remember its subject. 'I wonder what you're doing now Sasha,' she told it. 'Where you are. Who you're with. Strange that it was Darryl who found you.' She had always felt comfortable with Darryl, and she realised now that it was because he reminded her of Sasha. They had both helped to take her mind off things and make her smile again, and they were both good with children; Sasha because he was an accomplished entertainer and Darryl because he was still a big kid himself. Just thinking about him made her smile. But she had already chosen duty over fun and it was too late to change that now, wasn't it?

'Stop being silly Amber,' she told herself. 'You're starting to sound like Tai San.' It was just a coincidence that Darryl had found the photo, that's all. 'And you stop giving me ideas,' she told Sasha's picture. Putting him away in her box of photos, she went back to sorting her paperwork.


	27. The Next Move

As Trudy lifted the coffee cup to her lips she closed her eyes and enjoyed a rare moment of peace. The café was empty and quiet and she had left Brady with Lottie for a few hours.

'Trudy!'

_Great_ she thought. These moments never lasted very long in the mall. 'Hi Gel,' she said as her friend joined her at the table, then took another sip of coffee.

'Well aren't you going to ask me how it went?' Gel prompted.

'Did you find out something from Bonnie?' she asked, suddenly more interested. Gel nodded her head excitedly. 'So what are you waiting for? Why does she keep playing in the rubbish?'

'You've got nothing to worry about Trudy,' the other girl said. 'I think Creg was right. Bonnie's had a tough time but no more so than the rest of us. Since the Technos arrived she's been living on the streets and I guess it's just been hard for her to break the habit.'

'Are you sure that's everything?'

'Trust me,' Gel assured. 'Bonnie and I are garbage buddies now, she wouldn't keep anything from me.'

'Garbage buddies?' she asked hesitantly. 'Do I want to know?'

Gel made a face and shook her head. 'Listen, you just leave her with me. I'll have her perfectly civilised again in no time!'

'Well alright then,' she agreed. 'If you say so Gel.'

'Morning ladies!' Darryl chirped as he carried two mugs of coffee over to the table.

'Oh Darryl you're so sweet!' Gel said reaching out for one of them.

'Hey, hands off!' he warned, shooing her hand away. 'That's for Amber, she's got a busy day ahead of her. It's her first drop-in session as City Leader, this place is going to be heaving.'

'Fine then,' she said, disgruntled. When Darryl wasn't looking she whispered to Trudy. 'What did her last slave die of?' Trudy smiled and shook her head. 'How's May today Darryl?' Gel asked in a too-innocent voice, twirling her hair around a finger.

'Why do you ask?' he said suspiciously.

'Oh, no reason!' she smiled. 'Anyway, I have to go find Creg. Toodles!'

'Bye Gel,' Trudy said wearily as the younger Mallrat left the table.

'What did she mean?' Darryl asked. 'Does she know something?'

She smiled reassuringly. 'Since she's settled into the place Gel seems to know everything that goes on in the mall before it happens. Personally though I think she's just pretending and ends up striking lucky sometimes. I wouldn't worry yourself over it.' Darryl nodded, seemingly pacified.

'Hello you two,' Amber said as she came up the stairs. 'Ooh is that for me? Thanks Darryl!' She took the mug of coffee gratefully but remained standing. 'I came across this among my paperwork,' she told him, handing over an envelope. 'It's addressed to you. It wasn't there before so you must have lost it when everything got mixed up. I hope it's not anything urgent!'

'Thanks Amber,' he said. 'I'm sure it'll be fine, I only found it yesterday.'

'No problem. Alright then, I'm going to make a start on the pile. My office hours are due to start soon so don't be late!'

'I won't be! See you soon.'

'Good luck Amber!'

'Thanks Trudy, we'll catch up later ok?' Amber skipped back down the stairs to the office, taking her coffee with her, and Trudy found herself watching Darryl opening his post. On first sight of the letter his eyes widened and he began grinning like a Cheshire cat but as he read further his smile slipped and by the end of it he looked simply petrified.

'Are you alright Darryl?' she asked nosily. 'You look awful.'

'May…is going…to kill me!' he squeaked. 'Please tell me this is just a horrible dream!' He pinched himself optimistically but the pain only made him squeak more loudly.

'Calm down Darryl,' she said. 'I'm sure it can't be that dramatic.' She took another sip of coffee.

'It's worse!' he cried. 'This is why she was so mad this morning when I left Amber's room!'

She spluttered in shock, showering Darryl with a fine mist of coffee. 'You spent the night with Amber?!'

'Yes!' he groaned, wiping his face with a napkin. 'I mean no! At least, not like that. We were only talking. Now May thinks I'm cheating on her!'

This time the coffee went down the wrong way and she found herself choking. 'You're…you're seeing May?' she coughed, putting her mug safely to one side for the rest of the conversation.

'Not anymore,' he sighed. 'And when I was I didn't even know it!'

'This is all very confusing,' she said, not quite following.

'I've got to go and see her,' he decided. 'Explain what's going on. I mean. what's _not_ going on. Oh, she's going to hurt me. I'm going to be maimed.' Still muttering to himself he rose hastily from his chair and started to run down the stairs.

'What about Amber?' she called after him. 'She needs you Darryl!'

'There's plenty of time,' he answered, dismissing her concern. 'This is important!'

'But Darryl…' she started.

'Can't talk now Trudy! Gotta go!' Before she knew it he had reached the bottom of the stairs and was out of sight.

'…May's room is the other way.' she finished.

* * *

Leaving the café Darryl tried not to think of all the horrible things May might do to him. The threat to break his kneecaps didn't seem so funny anymore. _Maybe this is all just a practical joke_ he thought hopefully. The only way to find out before seeing May would be to go to the basement. Reaching the door at the bottom of the spiral staircase he closed his eyes and opened it. _Please, please, please!_ he thought, then opened his eyes. His heart sank. In front of him was a table set for two, with two plates of what was now very cold chicken and vegetables. _She must have gone out specially for these! I am so dead!_ Judging by how far the candle on the table had burnt down May had been down here all night waiting for him. No wonder she had looked so tired this morning. And it got worse; over one of the chairs May had angrily slung what looked like a new dress. May never wore dresses! If only he had read the note yesterday! Now all the pieces that would have made up the perfect evening only served to terrify him as he imagined what May must be thinking right now. Still, perhaps he could rectify the situation; after all, it wasn't like he had knowingly done anything wrong. He took a last guilty look around the storeroom then forced himself to walk back up to the mall before he had a chance to chicken out. Luckily Trudy had left the café so he didn't have to answer any embarrassing questions on his way past. May's doorway loomed before him, the red curtain hanging down from it blocking his view.

'Um…May?' he tried to call, but it came out as more of a whimper. He cleared his throat. 'May?' he called more loudly. 'It's…it's Darryl.' He heard movement inside but received no answer. 'Can I come in?' he asked.

'You take one step into this room and it will be your last,' she replied icily.

'May,' he warned, steeling himself. 'I need to explain a few things and I can't do that through a curtain. I…I'm going to come in now.'

'Don't you dare!' she threatened. Ignoring her he closed his eyes and took a step through the curtain. As soon as he opened his eyes he had to duck as a book came flying at his head. 'It's not what it looked like!' he spluttered, trying to explain.

'Just get out!' she screamed. 'I don't want to hear it!' She began grabbing anything that was within reach and throwing it at him.

'But I can explain!'

'Get out!' she repeated.

'May, please!'

'OUT!'

Her hands felt around on the table behind her, perilously close to a pair of scissors, and he decided to quit while he was behind and run. When he thought he was a safe distance away from the room he chanced a look behind him and was struck on the head by something small and heavy. 'Ugh!' he moaned as he fell to the ground, black flecks floating in front of his eyes. As he sat upright the mall appeared to spin and split into two before his vision settled. 'Ouch!' he said and put a hand to his head to steady it. His fingers came back wet - she had drawn blood. 'Crazy woman!' he muttered, then saw the pocket watch on the floor. 'That could've killed me!' Holding onto the railings lining the upper floor he picked himself up and went to his room to see to his wound. _And then to Amber's office_ he thought. _I don't want two angry women on my back._

* * *

Lottie happily hummed a tune as she skipped the short distance from Trudy's room to Gel's. Stopping outside she gave the secret whistle whose reply from inside told her that both Gel and Creg were out. Relieved - Bonnie was never as fun when the older tribe members were around - she went in. 'Hi Bonnie!' she greeted her friend, launching herself onto Gel's bed where the other girl was sitting doodling.

'Have fun with Brady?' Bonnie asked.

'It was fun,' she replied. 'But I'm not stupid. I know Trudy was only getting me out of the way so they could get to you. You gonna tell me what they wanted?'

Bonnie shrugged. 'Trudy was worried about me, wanted Gel to make sure I was ok that's all.'

'What was she worried about?' she asked.

'Beats me. She's always worrying about something.'

Lottie laughed. 'What about Creg?'

'What about him?' Bonnie sulked.

'Did you talk to him?'

'No. He left.'

'You made him leave more like!' she accused. 'You can't ignore him forever you know, just because Gel's not paying you much attention.'

'Shut up!'

'I'm just saying,' she continued. 'It doesn't look like they're going to break up anytime soon. You might as well try and get on with him.'

'I'm sick of hearing about Creg all the time!' Bonnie cried. 'Why can't we move into Sammy's room? You said we were going to!'

'That was before!' she said. 'It would just remind us all the time that Sammy isn't here!'

Bonnie huffed in exasperation. 'Well can't I stay with you and Ruby?'

Lottie shook her head. 'I don't think Ruby would like that. She gets cranky enough as it is.'

'Fine,' Bonnie sighed. 'Let's just get out of here. Wanna play Technos and Virts?'

'It's not the same without Sammy,' she moaned.

'Please?'

She nodded. 'Alright then,' she agreed. 'Let's go.'

'Um…Lottie?' Bonnie said as she prepared to leave.

'What?' She saw that Bonnie was pointing at her hand, which was closed around one of Gel's butterfly hairgrips. 'Oh,' she realised. 'Sorry, force of habit.' She put the hairgrip back on the bed and smiled. Bonnie smiled back and they left the room together. As soon as they were out on the landing her friend gave a little squeal and threw herself to the floor. 'Bonnie I haven't even zapped you yet!' she laughed, but Bonnie motioned for her to keep quiet and pointed through the railings down to the courtyard where a number of people stood huddled together. 'What is it?' she asked. 'Who are they?' Their reptilian appearance gave her the creeps. Green painted skin was covered with red tribal markings and their ears, noses and lips were filled with hoops and studs that glinted in the light. All were dressed in black and all but one, a white-haired girl with pale rather than painted skin, wore long trench coats. The mad glint in her eyes made her the scariest of the lot.

'They're the Skinks,' Bonnie whispered. 'And they're trouble.'

'Why are they here?'

'I don't know,' Bonnie replied. 'But it can't be good.'

'Should we warn Amber and Darryl?'

'Sure,' Bonnie grinned. 'Are you ready to run?' Lottie nodded excitedly. This was much more fun than Technos and Virts!

* * *

Gel entered the kitchen to find Creg leaning against the counter looking bored. 'Ah, there you are!' she cried.

'Gel!' he said, startled. 'I didn't expect you to be finished yet. How…how did the chat with Bonnie go?'

'Well I hate to say it,' she sighed. 'But you were right. There's no traumatic experience that makes her keep going to the garbage, she's just been out on the streets for a long time. She's got used to it I suppose.'

Creg smiled and stuck his tongue out at her. 'Told you so!' he teased.

She gave him a playful slap on the arm. 'I did find out one thing though.'

'Oh?' he said looking more serious. 'And what's that?'

'I think I know why she dislikes you so much.'

'What do you mean,' he frowned. 'She's just jealous, you said so yourself.'

'She told me some of the older boys in her tribe used to get into trouble. She probably hates men in general, I know she had some sort of argument with Jay.'

'I see. Well I guess I'd better keep out of her way then.'

'Or,' Gel stressed, suggesting that this would be a much better solution. 'You could spend more time with her, show her how great you are.'

Before he could answer a scream came from downstairs. 'That sounded like Lottie,' he said. 'Come on, let's go.'

'Why are people always screaming in this place?' she complained, but Creg was already striding out of the room and she had to run to catch up with him.

* * *

'Please gentlemen, there's no need for violence!' Darryl begged as two of the Skinks loomed over him menacingly.

'Who're you calling gentle?' One of them growled, the ring through his nose making him look like some sort of mutant bull. Behind them the rest of the Skinks were egging them on, with another two of them restraining Bonnie and Lottie.

'Just give us what we're owed,' one of them, presumably their tribe leader, demanded. 'And we'll leave you intact.'

Darryl gulped. What was that supposed to mean? 'I don't understand!' he said nervously. 'We don't owe your tribe anything.' Angry hisses rose up from the Skinks and the two in front of him moved closer, a menacing glint in their eyes.

'Don't play games with us sunshine,' the leader warned. 'If you won't help us we'll take this straight to your precious City Leader. Boys!' He snapped his fingers and the two thugs attempted to round the desk to get to the office. Darryl took a step back, placing himself firmly between them and the door.

'I'm sorry,' he said. 'But Amber's extremely busy today. If you don't have an appointment…'

'Argh! Enough of this!' the head Skink roared. He marched over to the desk and swept aside the papers and stationery on top of it with his arm, scattering them to the floor. 'Business is over for today! Get him!' Lottie screamed as one of the Skinks grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the floor. He would have screamed too but all that came out was a strangled croak.

'What is going on out here?' Amber cried, brought out of the office by all the commotion. 'Put him down! Let those kids go! Get off me!' She kicked and writhed but three of the Skinks overpowered her and carried her to their leader. 'What is the meaning of this?' she yelled as she was released but encircled by the unfriendly tribe.

'Get back!' one of them snarled, spotting May and Trudy arriving. _Please don't let her get caught up in this!_ Darryl thought.

'How dare you barge into our home,' Amber fumed. 'Injure my friend.' She pointed at the cut on Darryl's forehead.

'Actually, this wasn't…' he tried to explain but was cut off.

'And threaten the rest of my tribe,' Amber finished. 'Whatever grievance you have with me, leave them out of it!'

The leader of the Skinks laughed. 'This has nothing to do with your little game of 'running' the city,' he sneered. 'We had a deal!'

'I don't know what you're talking about,' she said.

'Don't lie to me! Lex promised us half the takings from that little raffle of yours and so far we ain't seen nothing! Give us our payment and we'll go quietly. Well…reasonably quietly. I have to let the lads have their fun after all. If you don't give us what we want…'

'Then you'll leave anyway,' came a voice from the courtyard. Darryl was surprised and relieved to see Creg standing there, with Gel clinging on to him for dear life.

'Stay out of this, pretty boy!' the Skink leader warned. 'This is none of your business. I'm giving you one chance to leave unharmed, but the Mallrat girl stays here.'

'As a concerned citizen I'm making this my business,' Creg said taking a step forward. The Skinks all tensed and started taunting the newcomer, including the one holding on to Darryl, who let him go and joined the others. Darryl rubbed his neck where it hurt. Creg, however, seemed unfazed by all of this. 'Do you have any idea what you've done?' he told them. 'You've just invaded the home of another tribe without provocation.' He laughed. 'And not only that you're threatening the City Leader, the representative of the people, so you're effectively attacking the whole city.'

'Enough with your politics!' the Skink leader interrupted. 'We made a deal and now the Mallrats are going to pay!'

'Your deal was with Lex!' Creg spat. 'The Mallrats weren't in on it and you know that. Just leave and make things easier for yourselves.'

'We want our payment! We know it's here and we'll tear this place down to get it if we have to!'

'There's nothing here!' Trudy sobbed. 'Lex took it all with him!'

'Go ahead, wreck the place!' Creg said, throwing his arms up. Gel tried in vain to restrain him. 'Beat us up, kill us even, but you know it's not here. Do you think _anyone_ in the city will back you on this one?'

'I don't see any witnesses,' the Skink smirked.

'Exactly,' Creg smiled. 'Don't you think that's a little odd? This place should be bustling with people coming to see the City Leader. My guess is you've left some of your men outside to scare them off. By now the whole city probably knows you're here, and not for a friendly visit either.'

'He's right,' May said. 'I've just come back from…repaying a debt.' She glared at Darryl. 'The whole sector's crawling with them.'

'Just go,' Amber told them. 'And I'll let you off with a warning. 'This has just been a big misunderstanding as far as the other tribes will know.'

'What about our goods? We won't stand for being tricked!'

'Believe me,' Amber said ominously. 'I'll be the first to make sure Lex gives you what he owes you.' She muttered something under her breath but Darryl was close enough to hear her say 'If I don't kill him first!'

The Skinks stared menacingly at the Mallrats for a while then finally their leader raised his arm as a signal for the rest to follow him and the whole tribe marched silently out of the mall. For a good couple of minutes the Mallrats just stood there taking stock of what had happened, the only sound being the soft sobs of Lottie and Bonnie.

'Lex!' Amber snapped suddenly, saying the name as if it were an expletive. The rest of the tribe jumped. 'Of all the stupid…argh! What was he thinking?'

'Clearly he wasn't,' May said sounding just as angry. Darryl was relieved that this time it wasn't directed at him. 'Leaving us to deal with this without saying anything! When I get my hands on him…'

'Creg saved us!' Lottie shouted, running to give the surprised teen a hug. 'You were ace!' she told him.

'I…I didn't really do anything,' he said. 'It was Amber who got rid of them.'

'Nonsense,' Amber replied. 'I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here. You have our thanks, Creg, we won't forget this. You'll always be welcome in the mall.' The others voiced their agreements and Creg looked relieved when Gel finally dragged him away.

'Right everyone let's get back to whatever we were all doing and try to forget this ever happened.' Amber said. Trudy smiled and took the kids up to the café. They still looked a little shaken up. 'Come on Darryl, back to work. It looks like it's going to be quiet for the rest of the day, we'll have a good chance to get through the rest of that paperwork.'

'Yes Amber,' he replied, following her to the office. As he walked he felt someone's eyes boring into the back of his head. He didn't have to look around to know it was May.

* * *

'This is no use Ruby,' Ellie sighed as the other girl finished interviewing another group of city dwellers. 'It's like this guy doesn't even exist.' Two and a half hours they had been out here searching for information and the only 'Plague' they had found was a five year-old Demon Dog who always had a runny nose.

'I think you're right,' her friend replied tiredly. 'Time to head back?' Ellie nodded and the pair started to make their way back to Sector 10. 'I just can't believe nobody has heard of him,' she complained. 'I mean, this guy clearly likes to show off, why only write to us?'

'Because we stopped the Virus? Because Amber's City Leader? There could be any number of reasons, or none at all. It could be completely random.'

'I don't believe that,' Ruby said. 'There's a reason.'

'Even if there is we just don't know enough about him to go around asking questions. All we've really got is a name and that clearly isn't his own. We don't _know_ anything.'

'You're right,' Ruby admitted. 'But we have to keep trying. There's bound to be some clue we haven't spotted yet. Nobody's untraceable.'

'We don't…we don't even know if it's just one person.'

'Another tribe? Like the Chosen?'

'He certainly sounds crazy enough for them,' she said worriedly. 'And…' she paused.

'What?' Ruby asked, narrowing her eyes. As usual she wasn't going to let anything slip. 'Ellie if you know something, or have any ideas, please tell me! We have to figure this one out.'

'It's nothing concrete,' she stressed. 'It's just that, you know I told you what Spinner said about the power cut?'

'That someone had flipped the switch in the basement?'

'Right. Well I was talking to Lottie about it and she swears blind she was nowhere near the basement when it happened, and Brady couldn't possibly reach it.'

'So you think it was Plague? He was in the mall?'

'Maybe,' she shrugged. 'But if he was then someone else must have given the letter to Bonnie. He wouldn't have had time to flip the switch then get outside undetected.'

'We'll check the basement to be sure,' Ruby replied. 'But you're probably right. Either that or Spinner was lying.'

'Which isn't unthinkable,' she agreed.

'In which case we need to figure out why,' her friend pondered. 'So we've found out nothing about Plague and got ourselves a bunch of new questions to answer.'

'All in a day's work!'

The two girls soon found themselves outside the mall, but Ellie had a strange feeling that something wasn't right. 'It's too quiet,' Ruby said, mirroring her unease. 'Isn't Amber holding office hours today? Where are all the people?'

They rushed inside. 'Hello?' Ellie called as they reached the Phoenix fountain. 'Is anybody there?'

'Ellie! Ruby!' Gel called as she ran down the stairs to meet them. 'I'm so glad you're safe, we thought the Skinks had got you!'

'The Skinks?' Ellie asked. 'Were they here?'

Gel nodded. 'Apparently Lex made some sort of deal with them but cheated them instead. It's alright though, Creg got rid of them for us.'

'That explains why Sector 10 is virtually empty,' Ruby noted. 'Is everyone okay?'

As Gel opened her mouth to answer a young man walked into the mall. He looked pale, with messy green hair and pink tribal markings around his eyes. His baggy jeans and shirt made him look thinner than he was.

'Ellie and Ruby?' he asked, holding out an envelope.

'Oh no!' Ellie panicked as Ruby calmly took the letter and opened it. 'Is it from him?' Ruby nodded and handed it over. It contained only two words:

_Ignore this!_

'Are you alright?' Gel asked the messenger. 'You don't look too good.' He was sweating profusely and tottering from side to side. Suddenly he made a strange choking sound and fell to the floor. Gel screamed and Ellie bent down to see if she could help.

'Don't touch him!' Ruby cried, pulling her to her feet. 'It's too late.'

'What's happening?' Trudy asked, coming down the stairs. 'Are we being attacked again?' She stopped in her tracks when she saw the messenger lying on the floor. She was followed by Darryl and Amber, Creg and May, then Lottie and Bonnie. Amber looked at Gel then, dismissing the younger girl as having no useful information, focussed her attention on Ellie and Ruby.

'Does either of you want to explain,' she asked in a serious tone. 'Why we have a dead body in the mall?'


	28. Undercurrents

Ellie looked at the floor, averting her eyes from both the dead body and Amber's unwavering gaze, desperately trying to think of something to say. How could this be happening? She looked at Ruby, who was staring back at Amber and stubbornly refusing to budge. _Don't make this worse Ruby!_ she pleaded mentally.

'Well?' Amber prompted. 'I want an explanation for this!' At first she had seemed shocked, but now she sounded suspicious. The air of defensiveness around Ruby certainly wasn't helping matters. 'Ellie?'

She looked up to see the tribe leader's face pleading with her to say that she wasn't involved. 'It wasn't us!' she announced, slightly shocked. She sensed a collective sigh of relief sweep through the room. 'You didn't think…? How could you?!'

'He gave them a note!' Gel spluttered, wide-eyed. She kept looking at the body of the messenger, appearing more and more ill each time she did.

'Is this true?' Amber asked, narrowing her eyes. Creg pushed through the gathered Mallrats and led away the visibly shaken Gel. Ellie felt sorry for her; she shouldn't have had to see that. Plague would pay for this.

'Let me see the note!' Amber demanded, sounding more and more impatient. Ellie took the piece of paper from the hand of a reluctant Ruby and handed it over. Amber read it then turned it over, expecting more. 'Is this it?' she asked. 'What does it mean?'

'Ruby,' Ellie warned. The other girl glared at her and gave an almost imperceptible shake of the head. 'We said we'd tell them!' she said, starting to get annoyed with her friend. 'You promised!'

'Tell us what?' May asked, echoing Amber's impatience. Ruby sighed, finally relenting, and produced the first letter from Plague. She unfolded it and gave it to Amber, who read it with amazement.

'When did you get this?' she asked.

'Yesterday,' Ruby replied. 'During the power cut.'

'How did it get here?'

Ellie opened her mouth to explain how Bonnie had been given it outside the mall but she was interrupted by Ruby. 'It was pushed through the grille,' she lied. 'I found it.' Ellie supposed that there was no point in getting Bonnie caught up in all this, but she was still uncomfortable keeping more information from Amber.

'And you didn't think to tell anybody about this?' Amber waved the first note at them then passed it around. Gasps of shock and worried whispers began to echo around the room.

'It could have been a hoax!' Ellie stated weakly.

'Some hoax,' May noted.

'We didn't know if you could handle it, alright?' Ruby snapped. Amber looked hurt and was silent for a while, but when she spoke again she was possibly more angry than before.

'How am I supposed to run the city,' she fumed. 'If I don't even know what's happening in my own tribe?! It doesn't exactly instil confidence in a leader does it? If the other tribes knew they'd laugh me out of the job! This is everyone's future we're talking about here - that's the only reason I agreed to do it. Or would you rather the Skinks were in charge?'

Ellie looked at the floor once again, willing herself not to cry. In fact out of the whole room only Ruby was unaffected by Amber's outburst. 'We have to get rid of the body,' she said as if the other girl hadn't spoken. If someone had walked into the mall at that moment they would have had trouble identifying which of the two was tribe leader. 'We don't know if he's contagious so I'll need to go to the power station. The Technicians will have the proper equipment for dealing with this sort of thing.' Everyone took a step back from the body, not wishing to be any closer than was necessary.

'Oh no you don't!' Amber hit back. 'If anyone's going then it'll be me.'

'This is no time to pull rank,' Ruby argued. 'We can't waste time here, or have you forgotten that you have appointments to keep? People are going to be coming here and we don't want them seeing this.'

Amber looked distinctly annoyed, especially given that Ruby had made good points. 'Alright then, go!' she sighed. 'But be quick about it!' Ruby immediately ran off out of the mall, leaving Ellie feeling suddenly alone. 'We need to stop people walking in on this,' Amber continued, addressing the tribe as a whole. 'May, I want you to rope off a route to the office that bypasses this area. See if Creg will help you. Trudy can you take care of the kids, make sure they're alright? Don't argue, Lottie. Darryl, come with me.'

Their was a bustling of activity as everyone followed their orders. 'What about me?' Ellie asked.

'You're coming to the office of course,' Amber replied in a tone that suggested this should have been obvious. 'And you're going to tell us every little thing you know about this Plague or so help me I'll have you out of this tribe so fast you won't know what's happened.' Ellie was shocked - what about Jack? She nodded and followed Amber and Darryl meekly, desperately trying to think of any extra piece of information she could give them.

* * *

'Why am I so stupid?' Gel sniffed, her voice slightly muffled by Creg whose body she was leaning into.

She felt him vibrate slightly, as if he were laughing. 'You're not stupid,' he said. 'You're a lot smarter than you think.'

He handed her another tissue for her to dry her eyes. She dabbed at them, removing smears of make-up at the same time but she was beyond caring about her face by now. 'Well nobody else has burst into tears have they?' she responded sulkily.

'Nobody else was there when it happened,' he pointed out. 'Apart from Ellie and Ruby and they knew what was going on in the first place.'

'You think so?' She felt him tense and he took his arm from around her shoulders.

'Well,' he said, searching for words. 'They seemed remarkably calm about the whole thing, wouldn't you say? And why else would they look so defensive?'

'I suppose so,' she agreed. 'Weird.' Creg smiled and lifted his arm to place around her once more. As he did so she had a sudden epiphany and all but leapt off the bed on which they were sitting. 'Don't touch me!' she screeched. 'Stay away!'

'What is it?' he asked, a worried expression on his face. 'What's the matter?'

'What if it's the Virus come back?' she cried. 'What if I've got it? I don't want you to get it too. No, stay back!' He had moved around the bed to where she was standing.

'Did you touch him?' he asked hesitantly. She shook her head. 'Then you're no more at risk than the rest of us,' he reassured her. 'We were all breathing the same air.' He held his hand out to her but she recoiled from it like it was a snake. 'It's alright,' he told her, taking another step forward. Gingerly she took his hand, lacing her fingers with his. He pulled her towards him and she slipped willingly into his embrace, throwing her arms around his neck.

'Oh Creg,' she sobbed. 'I'm so glad you're here.' For the first time in a long time she felt completely safe.

'Oh there you are. Look I…oh. I'll come back later.' May's face turned red almost as soon as she walked into the room.

'What is it?' Gel asked. 'Is it about the…him?'

'Sort of,' May replied. 'Amber's asked me to make sure anyone coming to see her doesn't see the body. Can I borrow Creg to help me herd people elsewhere?'

Creg looked at her. 'Is that alright?' he asked. She nodded and let him untangle himself from her to go with May.

'Wait!' she cried as he reached the door. Both he and May stopped to look at her. 'I want to come with you.'

'I won't be long Gel,' he said. 'You'll be fine here until I get back.'

'No,' she said. 'I mean I want to help. Can I help too, May?'

May shrugged her shoulders. 'I suppose the more of us there are the sooner we'll be finished,' she answered. Gel's stomach fluttered with queasiness but she masked it with a smile and joined Creg and May with her head held high. She didn't want to hide away from things anymore. All her life nobody had ever believed in her, that is until she found Creg. Now she wanted to show him that his faith in her was justified. It was time for her to grow up, no matter how unpleasant it might be.

* * *

As she stood watching the footage from the security cameras, Link started absent-mindedly twirling her fingers through Tag's hair as he sat in front of her in his office, busily typing up a report on energy consumption in Sector 4. His typing slowed as she continued until finally he gave up altogether and twisted slightly in his chair, giving her a frustrated look that she suspected was only half serious.

'Not distracting you am I?' she said in a mock-apologetic tone. He raised an eyebrow at her.

'Do you know how long that took to get right?' he sighed, looking up to where her fingers were entwined in his hair. She giggled at his vanity, this time using both of her hands to ruffle his hair until it looked like he had been dragged through a hedge. He looked at her with a stony-faced expression spoiled only by the glint of amusement in his eyes and the momentary twitch of his lips into a smile. Smiling herself, she patted his hair down and kissed the top of his head.

'There. All better?' she asked, trying not to laugh at his appearance.

Having gained his full attention she watched as Tag swivelled his chair around to face her. 'You can do better than that!' he told her, taking her hands and gently pulling her onto his lap. Throwing her arms around his neck she leaned forward so that their noses were touching.

'You are so easy to distract!' she smiled, then started kissing him. This time there were no complaints.

'Tag?' The radio crackled and Spinner's voice came through the airwaves. 'Tag are you there? I need that report, Cable's getting on my case. Have you finished it yet? Tag?' Tag's arm flailed out behind him to try and reach the radio but Link poked him in the ribs and he quickly gave up that idea. A noise like ripping fabric came through the radio as Spinner let out a sigh. 'Link are you in there again?' she asked. 'How many times…you've got work to do too you know! Tag I want that report on my desk in ten minutes. Don't make me come down there!' The radio clicked off angrily and Link giggled, but Tag pulled away, apology in his eyes.

'I really have to finish this,' he sighed. 'She'll kill me if I don't.'

'Well we wouldn't want that, would we?' she smiled, touching his cheek. 'It's ok, I'll leave you to it. You'll be completely free of distractions!'

He kissed her goodbye and she turned to leave. 'Hey, wait a minute,' he called after her. 'Look at this.' She went over to where Tag was standing, looking at the security screens. 'Is that Ruby?' he asked, pointing to the figure moving anxiously through the corridors. She nodded.

'What is she doing here?' she asked half to herself. 'I'll bring her in. If Cable's on the warpath again it'll be best if she's not seen. Looks like you might be distracted after all.'

Tag shrugged. 'It's probably for the best,' he said. 'I'm sure the shock of being left in peace would have killed me.'

Sticking her tongue out at him she left the old staff room and took the familiar route through the building to the entrance hall. About halfway there she saw the Mallrat vanishing around a corner, clearly lost. She opened her mouth to call for her then changed her mind. It would be just her luck for Cable to be within hearing distance. Instead she quickened her pace, soon catching up with the other girl who was picking her way along a corridor that hadn't yet been cleared of rubble and rubbish.

'Link!' Ruby sighed upon noticing her. She looked unusually flustered. 'Please, you have to come back to the mall with me. There's been…a situation.'

Link put an arm around her and began directing her back the way they had come. 'I'll do what I can,' she said, not really listening. 'Let's just get back to Tag's office first okay? It's not safe to talk here.'

'I've been so stupid, Link!' Ruby whispered, shaking her head. 'I didn't even consider that he might bring somebody else into this.'

Confused over what her friend was talking about but still only half listening, Link motioned for Ruby to be quiet. 'Wait here,' she said as the corridor opened up into the power station's main hall. Stepping into the room she walked halfway to Tag's office before glancing around to make sure nobody was watching, then signalled for Ruby to join her. The other girl stepped forward hesitantly at first, clearly unsure as to the need for secrecy, then made up the rest of the distance at a brisker pace.

'Why are we having to sneak around?' she asked, sounding slightly offended. 'Or are you still not allowed to talk to us 'Virts'?'

'It's not like that at all!' Link explained, but kept her voice quiet. 'It's just Cable. He doesn't like outsiders coming in, ever since…' she clamped her jaw shut and made a mental note to watch her tongue in future. Spinner would have killed her if she'd heard how close she'd just come! 'Since we moved here,' she finished sheepishly. Opening the door to the office she ushered her friend inside, casting a last wary look around the hall before closing it firmly behind her and pulling the blind down over the window. Thankfully the usually observant Ruby was too caught up in her own worries to notice her hesitation. She breathed a sigh of relief that was only partly for getting inside undetected, then a thought sprang to her mind; what could have worried that Mallrat so much that she could miss something so obvious? She wracked her brain to remember what her friend had just been saying; something had happened at the mall but she couldn't make any sense of what little else she could remember. _Only one way to find out_ she told herself, turning her attention back to the room. Tag had given up his chair for Ruby and was in the process of making her a drink. She had to smile; for all he pretended not to care, Tag really was a decent guy. He finished boiling the kettle and poured the water out into a mug. Soon the aroma of herbal tea filled the room and Tag handed the drink to Ruby, who accepted it eagerly.

'Thanks,' she said, then took a drink. 'Oh, I needed that!' She smiled, then lowered her eyes as if she had suddenly changed her mind about coming here.

'Ruby,' Link said softly. 'What is it? What's the matter?'

Ruby took a breath to prepare herself, then looked her in the eye. 'We got a note yesterday,' she explained. 'At the mall. A vague warning from someone who wasn't happy about the virus being stopped. Only Ellie and I saw it and I convinced her to ignore it but then today…just now…there was a messenger with another note.'

'Was it from the same guy?' Tag asked.

'What did it say?' spoke Link at the same time, but Ruby ignored them and just carried on, apparently reliving the memory.

'He was fine one minute,' the Mallrat continued, half to herself. 'Then…he was choking…it was all over so quickly, there was nothing we could do.'

'The Virus?' Tag breathed, astonishment breaking through his usually calm façade. Link knew her own face must look even more surprised.

'Do the others know?' she asked. Ruby gave a mirthless laugh.

'Even if Gel hadn't screamed they would have found him by now,' she answered. 'We couldn't move him, not when he could be contaminated. That's why…that's why I came to you. Is there anything you can do? Can you test the…can you test him?'

'That's more Spinner's area,' Link mused. 'But we can't be sure she wouldn't tell Cable. He'd have the whole building sealed in a flash if he thought the Virus was loose outside.' She looked at Tag.

'You go,' he told her. 'I'll tell her you're out checking a blip in the system or something.' She nodded.

'We'll need protective clothing,' she told Ruby. 'And a testing kit. Wait here, I'll be right back.'

Leaving Ruby under Tag's supervision she exited the room, this time making her way to the metal staircase that led down to the lower floor of the power station. It was warmer down here, and noisier. White-uniformed Technicians hurried about on their day-to-day duties, checking the machinery, carrying fuel or making notes on red clipboards. Most of them greeted her and she nodded or said a few words in response but never stopped to talk. They understood of course; she rarely had time to talk with other members of her tribe during the day. It was the people who didn't greet her that upset her the most, though; they were all people she had considered close friends when she was a Techno and now felt she no longer had time for them. That was the price of being in Cable's inner circle. Reaching the far side of the lower hall, the location of the storerooms, she fished a loop of keys from her belt, sighing in frustration as a pair of Technicians she remembered sharing jokes with on her breaks less than a fortnight ago walked past, completely blanking her. She found the right key and brought it to the lock, then frowned in confusion. Worrying about her former friends she hadn't noticed that the door to the stores was slightly ajar. The keys jangled as she returned them to her belt and she opened the door cautiously. The main storage area was a large room with steel pillars throughout to support the weight of the main hall above. Against the pillars stood a wide variety of metal cupboards, lockers, shelving units and filing cabinets, with no two the same, creating the illusion that the hall was divided into a grid of smaller rooms. The store's non-uniform appearance made it look chaotic but in reality it was meticulously organised and documented, although only a small portion of the room was currently being used by the Technicians. Nobody was immediately visible inside but she could hear someone shuffling about and opening and closing cupboards further in. Following the noise she was surprised to find Cable, his back to her, rifling through a set of cupboards containing old Techno uniforms and equipment. He didn't come down here very often, what was he looking for? Her eyes flashed unconsciously towards a cupboard directly opposite the one Cable was currently looking through, the knots in her stomach relaxing when she saw that it was undisturbed.

'Cable?'

Her commander whirled around, startled. Just in time she noticed the zapper strapped to his wrist and jumped out of the way with a shout, feeling the buzz of the pulse as it passed her ear. 'Cable it's me! Link!' she yelled, holding her hands above her head in a submissive gesture.

'Link?' he said, the confused look on his face replaced so fast by his usual emotionless expression that she thought she might have imagined it. 'What do you think you're doing?' he demanded. 'Creeping up on me like that. You're lucky I didn't kill you.' She looked back to where the pulse from the zapper had hit and was shocked to see a scorch mark on the wall. What setting had he had it on! Cable meanwhile had unstrapped the weapon and was hastily stuffing it and other items back into the cupboard.

'What are you doing down here?' she chanced. 'Is everything alright?'

'Of course it is,' he snapped. 'Why shouldn't it be? I just thought I remembered…I don't know.' This time she definitely saw confusion on his face. 'Anyway it's none of your business!' he finished. 'What are you doing here anyway? Haven't you got work to do?'

'I need to look through the Techno archives,' she lied. 'Make sure our systems match up with Ram and Mega's.'

Cable shook his head. 'That should have been done days ago,' he sighed. 'Get on with it then, and don't forget to lock up when you leave.'

He finished repacking the cupboard and locked the door, pocketing the key. She watched him leave the room, listened for the door closing behind him, then counted to a hundred before allowing herself to breathe a sigh of relief. She _had_ to talk to Spinner about Cable, the situation was getting dangerous! Continuing on to the end of the room - giving the undisturbed cupboard a sidelong glance on her way past - she reached another door that led to the secure storage area. Unlocking it she entered a much smaller and tidier room, with a workstation and two laptops in one corner. Shelves lined all four of the walls, neatly stacked with rows of headsets and various technological instruments, batteries and chemicals in a range of different bottles, boxes and packets. Grabbing one of the chrome cases used for fieldwork experiments she filled it with what she needed: one of the laptops, two of the instruments and a few packets from among the chemicals. Once she had gathered everything together she left the room, locking the door behind her. Back in the main store she took down two of the protective suits from the hotel, one for herself and one for Ruby, then paused, looking at the undisturbed cupboard again. _It's too dangerous_ she thought. _Especially if Cable's starting to snoop around_. Abandoning what she was carrying she went over to the cupboard and unlocked it, revealing boxes and boxes of computer CDs. Pulling out one of the boxes she flicked through the CDs until she found the one she wanted and removed it, tucking it inside the pocket of one of the protective suits. She put the box back in its place and locked the cupboard, then gathered her supplies and left the stores, this time ignoring the other Technicians as she made her way back to Tag's office. With her hands full she had to push the door open with her back.

'Sorry it took so long,' she said as she entered, then turned around to come face to face with Spinner, who was eyeing the protective suits and chrome box suspiciously.

'So there's a blip in the system is there?' Spinner said in a tone that made it clear she didn't believe a word of it. 'You three have some serious explaining to do.'


	29. What's In A Name?

**Author's Note: Has it really been six months?**

The journey to the mall was an awkward one. Link was glad that Spinner had seen the sense in not telling Cable about what was going on, but why did she have to insist on coming with them? Apparently she had business at the mall herself, though she wouldn't say what it was; Ruby didn't seem any the wiser either, though it was clearly bothering her that she didn't know. Sometimes Link thought Spinner just enjoyed stringing people along. Hearing a sigh beside her, she turned and smiled in what she hoped was a sympathetic way at Ruby. The Mallrat was the only one of the three not encumbered by a bio-suit, since Spinner had commandeered one of the ones she had fetched from the store and had insisted on leaving at once, so there had been no time to go back for another.

'It's probably better that she found out,' Link told the Mallrat. 'She's much better at this kind of examination than I am.'

Ruby looked unconvinced. 'Do you trust her?' she asked. 'Will she keep quiet about this?'

'Oh yes,' Link replied. 'She can keep a secret.' _I have no choice but to trust her. If only I hadn't been on duty that day!_ Ruby gave her a questioning look but she escaped answering by joining Spinner in walking ahead. 'Can't we go any faster?' she asked her fellow Technician.

'Relax,' Spinner said. 'It's best to approach these things with a clear head; rushing about won't help matters. I doubt there's anything to worry about anyway, if you're going to poison a whole tribe you don't do it in such an inefficient way.'

'How can you be so sure?'

'Just call it a gut instinct.' Spinner patted her stomach with a gloved fist, then frowned as she hit something hard. Link stiffened; she had forgotten all about the disc she had taken from the store. Why did it have to be Spinner who picked that suit? Spinner's eyes looked the closest to fear she had ever seen them as she took out the CD case. 'Tell me this isn't what I think it is,' she said.

'I can explain everything!' she pleaded.

Spinner quickly looked back towards Ruby, then put her head closer to Link's. 'What is it doing here?' she demanded in an angry whisper.

'I had to take it out,' Link replied, also whispering. 'Cable's been snooping around in Storage 12.'

'He knows!' Again that fear in Spinner's eyes.

'I don't think he does, Spinner. I don't think he knew why he was there, or what he was looking for.'

Spinner sighed, clearly relieved. 'You did the right thing, Link,' she said. 'I'll keep hold of this.' She put the CD back where she had found it.

'There's something else,' she said hesitantly. 'I think for a moment he didn't know who I was.' She looked for a reaction from Spinner but couldn't read the expression on the other girl's face. 'What do we do?'

'_You're_ not going to do anything,' Spinner said, sounding as if she had decided on a course of action. 'Except tell Tag to be on his guard. I'll sort things out with Cable. Somehow.'

'Just don't do anything stupid,' she warned. Spinner just looked at her, then gave a twitch of her head to signify that she should go back to Ruby. Link gave a sigh of frustration but acquiesced. _I have to trust her_, she thought.

'What was all that about?' Ruby asked.

'Just…Technician stuff,' she replied. Ruby looked hurt. 'I really can't tell you,' she added apologetically. 'But it has nothing to do with the trouble at the mall, I promise you.'

The Mallrat's face softened. 'We all have our secrets,' she said. Link smiled, grateful that her friend understood.

'Why are the streets so quiet?' Spinner asked as they approached the mall. Link looked around and realised she was right. For this time of day there was hardly anyone out in Sector 10 and it had been getting worse the closer they came to the mall.

'We had a run-in with the Skinks,' Ruby explained. 'They didn't want any witnesses around.'

'Is everyone alright?' Link asked.

Ruby nodded. 'It was all over by the time Ellie and I got back from…where we were.' _We _do _all have our secrets_, Link thought wryly.

'It seems they did you a favour,' Spinner said. 'Nobody's around to see this body of yours.'

'You wouldn't be saying that if you'd been there,' was all Ruby would say in reply. Link glared at Spinner's back for her insensitivity.

* * *

As she entered the mall, Ruby saw that Amber had not been idle while she had been gone. A rope barrier prevented any petitioner who came in from crossing the main court, instead forcing them to go the long way round to the City Leader's office. She ducked under it and Link and Spinner followed awkwardly, their movements hampered by the suits they were wearing. Approaching the fountain they came across the body, lying under a pink blanket with only the legs visible. Gel was there too, sitting on her heels a short distance away.

'Oh. Ruby, hi,' she said, her cheeks colouring slightly as she stood up. 'I know it's silly, I just didn't think he'd want to be alone.'

Ruby blinked in surprise. Compassion from Gel? Wonders would never cease. 'We'll take it from here,' she said, putting her hand on the other girl's arm. Gel nodded and went back to her room, looking half relieved and half embarrassed. Meanwhile the two Technicians had wasted no time in setting up their equipment and Link was in the process of removing the blanket which, it was now apparent, had been placed there by Gel. Suddenly the blonde-haired Technician froze and let out a gasp that was audible even through the hood of her bio-suit. 'What is it?' she asked, but Link wasn't listening. 'Link?'

'Spinner?' Link said hesitantly, then more firmly. 'Spinner!'

The other Technician looked at the body. She showed no sign that she had seen whatever Link had, but she fixed her colleague with a stern glare. 'Don't,' she warned.

'But Spinner, it's…'

'It makes no difference!' Spinner snapped. 'Now keep quiet, I need to be able to concentrate fully if I'm going to do this.'

Link obeyed, but Ruby suspected it was more because she was still in shock than for fear of Spinner. The cogs turned in her mind; so, they knew the poor boy did they? That almost certainly made him an ex-Techno. Surely this was proof that Plague had also been behind the deaths of the girl Elsa and the two Technos she and May had found in the alleyway last week. Her thoughts turned to the man - she thought it had been a man at least - who had attacked her and Darryl the day she had gone to examine those bodies, only to find that they had gone. What if that had been Plague? What if she had disturbed him in the process of moving the bodies? 'I could have been killed!' she said aloud. The two Technicians looked at her. Link's expression held sympathy, Spinner's amusement.

'I think not,' the more senior Technician replied. She uncorked a small bottle and tipped a tiny amount of purple crystals into a tube filled a quarter of the way with water. She stirred the mixture until the crystals had dissolved, turning the water pink, then took a swab from the inside of the dead man's cheek with a cotton bud and swirled it around in the tube. Almost immediately the pink faded and the mixture became clear. She stoppered the tube and set it down in a rack with another she had already done, the mixture inside having a faint yellow tinge. 'See? He didn't have the Virus,' she said, removing her hood. 'And there are no contagious elements in the body. In fact, despite being a little undernourished he's in perfect health.'

'Perfect health?! He's dead!' Link spat. 'Don't you care?'

'Getting upset won't help anybody,' Spinner shrugged, unzipping and stepping out of her suit. 'Least of all him. Now, I'm sure I can leave you to finish the tests. He's safe to handle. I have other business to see to, is Ellie in the mall?'

'She's around somewhere,' Ruby answered. _What does Spinner want with Ellie?_

Spinner nodded. 'Good. I need to speak with her.' She stood, then addressed Link once more. 'Remember,' she said. 'It'll be easier if you keep quiet.' Ruby didn't think she was talking about completing the tests.

As Spinner left to go and find Ellie, Ruby was glad of the chance to quiz Link about what she knew. 'You recognised him, didn't you?' she asked.

Link didn't look round as she set up the laptop and started to connect electrodes to various parts of the body. 'You heard Spinner, Ruby,' she said in reply. 'I can't talk right now. I'm sorry.' Ruby sighed. Another time. As she watched Link continuing with her tests she felt someone tugging at her arm and looked down to see Bonnie staring up at her, biting her lip worriedly.

'Bonnie, you shouldn't be here,' she said. 'What's the matter?' She took the girl's hand and led her a little way off from the body, so she wouldn't have to see it.

'That note, in the power cut,' Bonnie said. 'Someone gave it to me outside.'

'That's right,' Ruby replied. 'Have you remembered something about him?' Bonnie shook her head.

'You told Amber that you found it in the grille, but you didn't. Why did you lie?'

Ruby knelt down to explain. 'Sometimes,' she said, then paused to think. 'Sometimes the truth can hurt people, so you tell a small lie to protect them. Amber was very cross earlier,' She made a mental note to have words with Amber at some point about that. 'And if she thought you knew about the note she might have been cross with you too. It doesn't matter who found the note, and there was no point getting you into trouble, so I said it was me.'

Bonnie frowned, thinking it over. 'So you're saying that sometimes it's okay to lie?'

Ruby grimaced, trying to think of what her mother would have told her at this age. Instead all she could say was, 'Sort of.'

Bonnie shook her head disbelievingly. 'My brother said that too,' she said sadly. 'I don't believe it.' Ruby didn't know much about the younger girl's past, but she had heard that her old tribe had all been taken by the Technos; she must miss her brother terribly. She tried to give a comforting look, and abruptly Bonnie patted her on the arm. 'Don't worry Ruby, everything will be alright,' she said, then skipped away happily. Ruby shook her head in confusion. Perhaps it was just as well she wasn't having a child of her own just yet. With a sigh she straightened and dusted off her skirt, then walked back over to where Link was. The Technician had removed her protective suit and was kneeling by the body, brushing the dead boy's unruly hair away from his face with her fingers. She had her back turned but Ruby could tell that she was crying. Going over to her, she put a hand on her shoulder, then knelt down to join her on the floor.

'You must have known him pretty well,' she said. Link looked at her, then at the floor, the look on her face showing she was clearly struggling between wanting to talk and following Spinner's orders. Eventually she sighed and began to talk, but for once Ruby didn't care about solving her puzzle. She was more concerned about Link.

'He was a Techno,' her friend confirmed. 'We weren't especially close, but we were friends. He went missing a while back, but nobody really knew why and nobody cared enough to ask questions. He just vanished.

'What was he called?' Ruby asked.

Link shook her head. 'That's the worst part!' she replied, tears falling down her cheeks. 'In the Technos he went by Relay, but I don't know his real name. Isn't that terrible? We worked together all that time and I never even asked him his name. I don't think _any_ of the Technicians know it.' Ruby took her hand off Link's shoulder, then jumped when the Technician suddenly grabbed her wrist. 'Don't let that happen to me!' she pleaded. 'I don't want to die as a Techno. My name is Lian; remember that, Ruby! My name is Lian!'

'It's alright,' Ruby said, hugging her friend. 'It's alright. I won't forget.' Plague was going to pay for this.

* * *

'Ellie? Oh, hello Jack.'

Jack mentally tensed. Who was that? Something familiar tugged at his memory; desperately he tried to remember when he had last heard that melodious voice. That was one thing about being in this state; he had become much more adept at using his senses of smell and hearing. That voice, and the faint smell of chemicals and almost clinical cleanliness, like a hospital. His mind wandered back to the last time he had experienced those sensations. He remembered Ellie humming, and the smell of candle smoke, then a sing-song voice and that clean smell emerging through the smoke. Of course. It was Spinner.

'Still no change I see,' the Technician noted. He felt her fingers on his neck, checking his pulse. 'A good strong heartbeat though.' She must have felt it quicken, as she laughed and said, 'Don't worry. I'm a friend, remember?' _Are you?_ he thought. She must have leaned closer to him; the chemical smell was almost overpowering. 'Everything is ready,' she said. 'I just need the final go-ahead from Ellie and I'll have you right as rain again in no time. I promise.' He heard her move towards the door. 'Rest well!' he heard her say, then she was gone. Inwardly he panicked, trying to open his eyes as he had before. This time, however, that solitary successful attempt did not give him hope; instead the memory of it taunted him, and after a few unsuccessful tries he gave up, no longer having the will to continue. Not for the first time he thought he would have been better off if the Zoot computer had killed him like it had Mega.

Suddenly he felt the presence of somebody else in the room. Was it Spinner back again? He listened carefully. Yes, those were definitely footsteps, but stealthy ones, as if whoever it was didn't want him to know they were there. But why would anybody want to do that? The scent of Spinner still invaded his nostrils, so he couldn't tell if it was her or somebody else, but whoever it was certainly wasn't here to plump his pillows for him. He took back his earlier thought about the Zoot computer and hoped he hadn't just wished death upon himself. He wasn't ready to die yet, he knew that now. Not that he could stop anybody who tried to kill him, not in his present…_Ouch!_ He felt a small flash of pain at his scalp and his eyes shot open. A shadow passed across his vision as a hand moved away from his head, but with his eyes fixed firmly straight ahead at the ceiling he could see no more. Had someone just…pulled his hair? His eyes slid shut again and he screamed with frustration inside his head. After a while he heard the culprit moving, cautiously at first, and then leave the room. _It could have been one of the kids playing a trick_, he thought, but didn't dare believe it to be the truth. Instead he concentrated on the two things he knew for certain: that he wasn't ready to die, and that he never wanted to wear a headset ever again. With renewed motivation he tried once again to move, and this time he kept on trying.

* * *

Trudy sat alone in the café once again, reflecting on the morning's events. It had certainly been an eventful one. First the Skinks and now a death in the mall; it had taken ages to settle Lottie and Bonnie down, and their crying had made Brady upset as well, she had only just now managed to get her back to sleep. And if that wasn't bad enough there was tension within the tribe itself, with May just about turning the air to ice whenever she was in the same room as Darryl, and the looks she gave Amber weren't much better. Ordinarily she would have been thankful that Amber hadn't noticed, but the only reason for that was that the tribe leader had been engaged in her own glaring match with Ruby! She had her suspicions as to why those two didn't get on, but perhaps if she had a word with Amber she could smooth things over, and maybe even get her to explain things to May. That would solve both problems. She frowned; or maybe she should just bang all their heads together! It was frustrating having to play mediator in her own tribe, especially when there were more important things to worry about, such as half the tribe being away at the same time there were threats of attack from both the Skinks and this mysterious Plague. She wished Salene were here; she'd get the others to see sense in no time. But there was no-one else; Ellie had enough on her plate looking after Jack, and Gel would probably just make things worse. No, she would have to sort it out herself.

'Mind if I join you?' a voice asked, tearing her from her thoughts. She looked up to see Creg and motioned to the chair opposite her.

'Be my guest,' she replied. 'How's Gel?'

'Sleeping,' he said as he sat down. 'She's had a rough time, poor thing. Well we all have, I know, but she's not hardened to it like the rest of us. Anyway I thought I'd catch a break while I could, same as you I imagine. How's Brady?'

'I just got her off to sleep,' she replied. 'She doesn't know what's going on, but she can see that everyone's upset and she doesn't like it.'

Creg shook his head. 'This is no world to raise a child in,' he said. 'The little ones pick up on these things. Do you ever wonder if it'll affect her later on? Growing up in all this?'

'All the time,' she said. 'But we do what we can to make sure they feel safe and loved, and know right from wrong. Beyond that all we can do is hope.'

'We do what we can,' he agreed sadly.

She studied him for a while over her fingertips, then said, 'Do you mind if I ask you a question?'

Creg spread his hands wide to show he was open to the suggestion. 'Fire away!' he said.

'Okay, but please don't take this the wrong way,' she said defensively.

'I'll try not to,' he smiled.

'It's just that…guys like you, well in my experience they tend to go for girls like Amber or Ebony.' _Usually both_, a voice at the back of her head said, but she pushed the thought away.

'And you think I'm going to hurt Gel,' Creg said dryly.

'Oh no! Nothing like that!' she spluttered, waving her arms in protest. 'I know you're no Lex. It's just…I'm curious, that's all.'

'Ah, you don't know what I see in her,' he realised. She blushed; put that way, it did sound rather rude. 'Let me ask you something Trudy,' he said. 'Aren't you tired of all this? All the fighting? All the politics?'

She nodded. 'Of course I am. We all are.'

'Well with Gel it's like none of it is happening,' he said. 'I'm not saying she doesn't know what's going on, but she doesn't let it get to her. She talks about hair and make-up and clothes, and I don't understand a word of it but it's so wonderfully normal! She acts her age, not twenty years older, and she trusts, Trudy! She actually still trusts!' He shook his head in disbelief.

'Trust can be dangerous these days,' she said, far too quickly, and blushed again. There was really no need to be so defensive.

'I can protect her,' he said simply. She fought back the urge to tell him how lucky Gel was to have him; she didn't want to give him the wrong idea. Sure he was good-looking and strong and…she stopped herself from carrying on the list. There was no point. For one thing he seemed perfectly happy with Gel, and for another…well, he never seemed completely comfortable around the little ones, and she didn't think she could ever love a man who wouldn't get on with Brady. _Love? Where did that come from?_

'I should be going,' he said, his chair scraping on the floor as he rose. 'I want to be there when she wakes up. Thanks for talking.' She smiled and mumbled something noncommittal, then watched as he made his way back to Gel's room.

'What do you make of him?'

Trudy felt as if she had jumped a foot in the air; she hadn't noticed anybody else approach. What was wrong with her today? The body. It must be that, or the Skinks earlier. She must still be feeling jumpy from them. Looking up she smiled at Amber as the other girl sat down. 'Well Gel certainly seems to like him,' she replied. 'And I'm glad he was here when the Skinks showed up. Beyond that I don't really know that much about him.'

Amber frowned thoughtfully. 'I've been thinking about security in the mall,' she said. 'With Lex and the others gone we're weak, we saw that today. If the Skinks decide to attack after all, or Plague…' Her mouth tightened; clearly she hadn't yet forgiven Ellie and Ruby for keeping Plague a secret. 'I'm going to suggest to the others that we invite Creg to stay, to help with security. He's here most of the time anyway, and we could use the extra muscle. What do you think? Can we trust him?'

'I don't think he particularly cares about the tribe,' she replied. 'But he might stay for Gel.'

Amber nodded. 'I suppose that's the best we can hope for,' she said. 'Best to keep an eye on him then. We can make May head of security until Lex gets back, and Creg can be her deputy.'

'May? Do you think that's wise? She does tend to do her own thing.'

'We'll make sure she gives regular reports,' Amber replied. 'To Darryl I think, and he can pass on the important stuff to me.' Trudy winced. She didn't think Darryl or May would like that, but she could see the sense in it. 'Of course we'll have to make Creg a Mallrat,' her friend continued. 'Lex will have a fit when he finds out we've voted on it without him but it has to be done.'

'Creg wasn't the only one to stand up to the Skinks,' a small voice suddenly said. Trudy wished people would stop sneaking up on her today. At least Amber had also been startled this time. Bonnie looked up at them both expectantly.

'You and Lottie were very brave too,' the tribe leader smiled. Bonnie looked at her as if she were stupid.

'I wasn't talking about myself,' the little girl sulked. 'I was talking about Darryl. He tried to stop the Skinks from getting through to your office. Creg only got here at the end.'

Trudy refrained from telling her that it was only the end because Creg had made it the end. Amber, however, looked thoughtful. 'He did?' she said, presumably referring to Darryl. 'I'll have to thank him. Thank you for telling me, Bonnie.' Bonnie just stood there, biting her lip.

'Was there something else you wanted to tell us?' Trudy asked, trying to coax whatever was on her mind out of her.

Bonnie hesitated for a moment then said to Amber, 'You shouldn't have been so mean to Ruby and Ellie!'

Amber scrunched up her face in distaste. 'They shouldn't have kept something so important from…the rest of us,' she said.

'But they were only trying to help!' the younger Mallrat persisted. 'You won't really throw them out, will you?' The poor girl looked distraught.

'Not if they've told me everything,' Amber replied, after a hesitation that confirmed to Trudy that it was an idle threat. 'Now I won't hear any more on the subject, is that clear? This is between me and Ruby.' Trudy gave a small cough. 'And Ellie,' Amber added with a blush. Bonnie narrowed her eyes and began to stalk off, then turned back.

'Would you have told me and Lottie what was going on if we hadn't been there when it happened?' she asked. Receiving no reply she gave a satisfied nod, seeming confident that she had proven her point about Ruby, then left the café.

'Well she's certainly got a bee in her bonnet about something,' Amber muttered sulkily.

Trudy hid a smile. 'That makes two of you then,' she said.

Her friend gave her a questioning look. 'What do you mean?'

'Oh come on Amber, you and Ruby? Bonnie's right, you were far too hard on her earlier, and now you've gone and got Ellie caught up in the middle of it, as if she didn't have enough to worry about with Jack lying up there.'

'They put us all in danger, Trudy. They shouldn't have kept this to themselves.'

'One day wouldn't have made much of a difference,' Trudy sighed. 'Do you know what I think? I think you and Ruby are very similar, and that's why you're getting on each other's nerves. She's used to being independent, that's all. Just give her time to settle into the tribe and everything will sort itself out, I'm sure of it.' Amber looked unconvinced. 'And while I see your point about them keeping quiet I do think Ellie and Ruby made the right decision. Can you honestly say that you could have coped with the news at the time, with Lex and the others gone and city business coming out of your ears? You've been so much happier since Darryl's started helping you out with that.'

'Darryl,' Amber mused. 'I still need to thank him for today.' Trudy opened her mouth to speak but Amber cut her off. 'Alright, I'll talk to Ruby as well,' she said in a suffering tone, but the smile at the end told Trudy it was mean in jest, and that Amber really would try and sort things out with Ruby.

'Before you go,' she said as Amber made ready to move. 'There's something I should probably tell you about Darryl. And May.'

'What about them?'

'Well…it's complicated. They're not really together as such, but May's upset because she thinks you and Darryl are having an affair, and…'

'But they're not together?' Amber interrupted.

'Well, no, but…'

'Then there's no problem, is there?' she said defensively. 'It's none of May's business what Darryl and I are or aren't doing.' Rising, she pushed the chair under the table angrily and Trudy grimaced as it scraped noisily against the floor. 'And it's none of yours either!'

'Amber, wait!' Trudy called to her friend apologetically, but she had already gone. She buried her head in her arms on the tabletop and groaned. She thought she had done well, persuading her to talk to Ruby, but she had made a serious error in telling her about May. She should have realised sooner. Darryl's help and friendship had certainly cheered Amber up over the last day or two; it was no wonder she had developed feelings for him, and now that she knew about May she was determined to fight for him. She considered saying something to May, or perhaps Darryl, but decided against it. She didn't want to make things any worse than she already had.

* * *

'Ah, there you are!'

Ellie winced as she noticed Spinner walking towards her and half considered turning back, even though there was no way to pass it off as anything but avoidance. After the tongue-lashing Amber had just given her she was in no mood to talk to anybody, least of all one of the Technicians, but since it was too late to escape…

'Hello Spinner,' she said, forcing a smile. 'Have you been looking for me?'

'Bad day?' the Technician asked. Ellie pulled a face at not being able to hide her mood. 'Well, no wonder,' Spinner continued. 'I hear it's been a rather eventful day here at the mall. I've just seen Jack, such a shame he hasn't shown any sign of improvement yet.'

Ellie blinked at the sudden change of subject. Clearly Spinner wasn't one for pleasantries.

'You're not making me feel any better,' she said dryly. 'What was it you wanted?'

Spinner looked confused for a moment. 'Why, for Jack to get better of course!' she smiled. 'Have you forgotten my offer already? I have all the equipment ready now, all you have to do is say the word.'

'Oh,' Ellie mumbled. 'I guess with everything that's happened today it slipped my mind.'

'You don't sound convinced anymore,' Spinner said. 'Are you having second thoughts? It's perfectly natural of course, but…'

'I just don't want to do anything to harm him,' she interrupted. 'Is it going to work?'

'I can't give you any guarantees,' the Technician admitted. 'But for what it's worth I think there's a very good chance. Since his condition was brought on by using a headset it should be easier to reverse it the same way than if it had happened to him by some natural means, and given his lack of response to the exercises I prescribed I really do think this is our best option.'

Ellie nodded slowly. 'Alright then,' she said. 'You've convinced me. Besides, I want him back.' _I need him back!_ a voice in her head echoed.

Spinner nodded graciously. 'I'll bring everything over tomorrow morning,' she said.

'What…what exactly will it involve?' Ellie asked tentatively, not sure if she really wanted to know.

'I really have to get back to the power station,' Spinner replied apologetically. 'But if you walk with me to the exit I'll try and explain as much as I can.'

Ellie nodded, and tried to walk as slowly as possible as they made their way to the stairs.

* * *

Ruby smiled as Link dried her eyes again with a self-deprecating laugh. 'Look at me,' the Technician joked. 'I came here to help you and now you're the one comforting me.'

'You've had a shock,' she said warmly. 'Probably an even bigger one than the rest of us. You weren't expecting to see your friend again. Certainly not like this.'

Link glanced at Relay's body and shivered, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath to regain her composure. 'Whoever did this is going to be sorry,' she said when she opened her eyes again.

'We'll make sure of it,' Ruby agreed.

'If you find anything out, let me know,' Link pleaded. 'And if there's anything I can do to help track this monster down.'

'Well actually,' Ruby said slowly. 'There might be something.'

'Anything,' Link reiterated. 'Just tell me.'

'I think whatever Plague's up to, he's using captured Technos to do it. Relay hasn't been the first but hopefully he can be the last. If you can find out anything about Technos who disappeared, maybe we can find some sort of pattern.'

Link looked suddenly uneasy. 'I don't think I can do that Ruby,' she said. 'I'm sorry, but I don't have access to that kind of information.'

'I would never ask you to put yourself in danger, Link,' Ruby pointed out. 'But if you could just…'

'I'm sorry,' Link repeated. 'I can't help you.'

Ruby opened her mouth to ask why her friend had suddenly changed her mind - there must be more to it, she thought - but she was cut off by the return of Spinner, followed by Ellie.

'And that's the simplest explanation I can give you,' Spinner was saying. 'It's more complicated than that, but it gives you the general idea. Do you understand?'

'I think so,' Ellie replied. 'Well, more than I did before at least. Thank you.'

'So I'll see you tomorrow then?' the Technician asked; Ellie nodded. 'Good! Then I think it's time for us to leave. Are you ready Link?'

'Yes,' Link replied tersely. 'What kept you?' Spinner raised an eyebrow but said nothing, and before long the two Technicians had packed up their stuff and were heading out of the mall.

'What was that all about?' Ellie asked. 'Link looked really upset.'

'It's a long story,' Ruby frowned. 'And I haven't quite got to the bottom of it yet. Do you fancy a coffee?'

'Absolutely!' Ellie smiled. 'You can fill me in on everything.'

'And you can tell me what Spinner wanted from you,' Ruby said. Ellie grimaced, but nodded.

* * *

A knock on the doorframe drew Darryl's attention away from the papers he was studying.

'Yeah?' he called idly, tossing the papers onto his bed.

'Ah, good,' Amber said as she stepped inside. 'I was hoping to catch you on your own.'

Darryl leapt up from where he was sitting and grabbed the discarded papers in an effort to look busy. 'Amber!' he said, startled. 'I haven't finished going through them yet, but I'll have them to you as soon as…'

Amber laughed, cutting him off. 'Forget about those for now,' she said. 'That's not why I'm here.' She pulled the curtain over the door and he frowned in confusion. Then she started moving towards him. She came so close that he instinctively took a step back, and it was only her hand on his arm that prevented him from retreating further. He could smell her soap.

'What…' he gulped. 'What was it that you wanted?'

'Bonnie told me what you did today,' she said, looking up at him intently. He looked away and tried not to think of the rise and fall of her chest a few centimetres away from his own.

'Wh-what did I do?' he asked. And what did _Bonnie_ have to do with it? 'If I've done something wrong I'll make it up to you, I promise!' May would never respect him if he lost this job so soon after starting it.

Amber's lips - he tried to stop himself thinking about them - twitched in a smile. 'You haven't done anything wrong,' she reassured him. 'Far from it. Bonnie said that when the Skinks arrived you tried to protect me, tried to block their way.'

'Oh,' he said, finally realising what she was talking about. 'Well, I…that is to say, I was…erm…it was my job. I was just…'

She put a finger over his lips to silence him and he trailed off. 'It was very brave of you,' she said. 'And I just wanted to say…Well, I just wanted to…' She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. 'Thank you,' she smiled, the twinkle in her eye as she turned to leave confirming, if he had had any doubts, that this was anything but a simple thank you. 'Let me see those petitions when you've finished reading through them,' she added on her way out, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Darryl just stood there, wide-eyed, wondering if he was dreaming, and hoping that May never found out about what had just happened.

* * *

As they left the mall, Link found herself being grabbed by Spinner and hurried into an alleyway. 'What did you tell her?' the other Technician spat. 'I thought I told you to keep quiet!'

'I didn't tell her anything she didn't already know,' she said. 'They've found others, Spinner. Ruby told me, and I'd bet my life they're all Unit 12.'

'Don't you ever say that name again!' Spinner hissed, and Link felt the grip on her arm tightening. 'I'm not having everything I've worked for - everything _we've_ worked for - ruined by careless talk!

Link narrowed her eyes. 'You're not surprised!' she accused. 'You knew! You knew there'd been other murders and you said nothing! That's why you wanted to come, isn't it? Don't you think Tag and I have a right to know what's going on? If Cable…'

'I will deal with Cable,' Spinner said slowly. 'But the fewer who know about this, the easier it is to keep it quiet. I don't want Ruby on my back because you and Tag have a new best friend.'

'I'm not stupid!' Link fumed. 'And what do you think Tag would say? You can't get more than a few words out of him at the best of times! You got us into this mess in the first place, Spinner. You should have included us, you owe us that much. Who was it? Who did they find?'

'What difference would it make if you knew?' Spinner asked, frustrated. 'You're in enough of a state already.'

'And you don't seem to be in enough of one!' she cried. 'These were supposed to be our teammates, Spinner, our friends! And I couldn't even tell you Relay's real name! It's like the Technos turned us into these emotionless robots, and I don't like it! I won't be like that anymore!'

Spinner just stood there silently, unable to reply.

'Ruaridh,' she said after a while.

'What?'

'Ruaridh. Relay's real name. It was Ruaridh. See? I'm not as cold as everyone seems to think I am, Link. But I'm not going to risk everything now, not when we're starting to put it all behind us.'

'Thank you,' Link said, tearfully throwing her arms around Spinner, and receiving a hesitant pat on the back in return.

'I'm scared, Link,' Spinner whispered. 'Whoever's doing this, what if he knows?'

'We don't know that,' she said, stepping back to face Spinner. 'Everything seems to be concentrated on the Mallrats at the minute. Maybe it's all just a coincidence?'

'Maybe,' Spinner said. 'But I'm not going to bank on it.'

'Ruby can help, Spinner. I'm sure of it.'

'No.' Spinner shook her head. 'If she knows, the whole tribe will know, and that's too many people who can talk.'

'But…'

'No, Link. We handle this ourselves. Now, let's get back to the power station before Cable gets even more suspicious.'

As Spinner stalked off, Link sighed in frustration, with no choice but to follow.


	30. The Brewing Storm

**Author's note: Apologies once again for the huge delay between chapters. All my time has been spent on work for the best part of a year, as we've had a huge project on. If you're still reading, thank you, I really do appreciate it. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

Early the next morning, just as the water on the horizon was beginning to sparkle with the first rays of the sun, a small, sombre party left the mall and made its way through the city streets. Link had set off even earlier from the power station to be there, so that she could pay her last respects to her former colleague and friend. In the unsurprising absence of Spinner, Ruby and Ellie walked on either side of her in a show of support, giving the occasional squeeze or sympathetic murmur along the way. Somewhat more surprisingly, Gel had wanted to come along as well, and she had roped Creg in to help carry the litter on which Relay's body had been placed. Darryl completed the funeral party, in his eyes in his official capacity as Amber's representative, but in reality because he was the only one who knew the way to Hope Park, where Mega and Ram had been buried. Ruby had pushed to have the funeral there, partly because it was a sensible location, but mostly so that she could visit Ram She caught Ellie's eye and winced at the pity she saw there; Ellie knew all too well that Link was not the only one who would be feeling emotional today.

'I'm surprised Tag isn't here with you,' Ellie said to Link. 'Or have they got him working on something he can't get out of?'

Link shook her head. 'I haven't told him,' she replied. 'There didn't seem much point. They didn't know each other.'

'But surely he'll realise you're upset?' Ruby asked. 'Shouldn't you say something?'

'He knows someone died yesterday,' Link shrugged. 'That's enough. I don't want to worry him with the details.' Ruby and Ellie gave each other a look. None of our business, it said.

'We're here,' Darryl announced from the front end of the litter; they had stopped outside the rusty gates that led to the park. Ruby began to feel a little apprehensive, knowing that behind them lay Ram's grave - a place she had longed to visit for days, but also a place she feared, as, even though she knew he was dead, seeing it would mean that she had to accept it. Ellie must have sensed her unease because she quickly took charge, pushing open one of the gates, which shrieked in noisy protest, and leading the group inside to where the three still fresh-looking mounds of earth marked the burial plot. The two men gently lay down the funeral bier and Creg unstrapped the bundle of tools from his shoulders. He walked over to a clear spot, looked at Link, who nodded, took out a spade from the bundle and started digging. Darryl did the same, and Ellie and Gel started gathering wood to make a cross. Ruby felt Link grab her hand and she squeezed back just as hard, the two girls taking comfort from one another. By the time Relay was lowered into the grave, and the earth piled on top of him, dark clouds were beginning to roll in from the sea, matching the atmosphere of the cemetery.

'Link, do you want to say anything?' Ellie asked, placing the cross at the head of the grave. It read 'Ruaridh' - Link had remembered his name after all.

'I…I don't think I can,' Link said sadly, shaking her head, her eyes glistening. 'I'm sorry, I just can't.'

'That's alright,' Ruby said. 'Let's just stand quietly for a while, and you can remember him that way.'

Link smiled and nodded. 'Thank you,' she said.

'Actually,' Creg spoke up. 'I'd like to say something. If…if that's okay?'

Link looked surprised but nodded again. Creg put down his spade, stood by the grave and cleared his throat. 'I know I didn't know Ruaridh,' he began, choosing his words. 'And nor did most of us standing here this morning. But I think we all know who is responsible for this. I know things look bad now…and it looks like they might still get worse.' He twisted his face in distaste. 'But people like Plague, they don't stay on top for long. For everything that he's done, soon he'll have to pay, and Ruaridh and everyone else he's hurt will have justice. We just have to remember that.' Ruby felt Link's hand tighten around her own and she had to pull away. Turning to her friend, she saw that Link's eyes were sparkling not only with tears but with anger.

'He's right,' the Technician said through gritted teeth. 'He'll pay. I'll make him pay.'

'And us,' Ruby agreed. 'He owes the Mallrats too,'

Link walked unhearing towards the grave and Ruby went over to join Ellie. A low rumble of thunder rolled across the sky and large, fat raindrops slowly began to fall, leaving darker spots where they fell on the bare earth of the graves.

'We should go back soon,' Ellie said. 'It feels like a storm heading in.'

Ruby nodded, then a strangled cry came from Link. It was not Relay's grave she now knelt over, however; it was Elsa's. Ellie and Ruby both ran over to her.

'Link?' Ruby asked. 'Are you alright?'

The Technician stared wide-eyed and reached out to touch the cross bearing Elsa's name. 'Who is this?' she whispered.

'A Techno,' Ellie replied. 'Found murdered on the street after the evacuation. We think Plague was responsible for her death, too.'

Link gasped in shock and stood up, clenching her fists. 'This…this changes everything,' she said in a tight voice. 'All this time…what they must have gone through. What I said before, about helping you? I'll do it. I'll do anything. He has to be stopped.'

Ruby looked at Ellie and saw the same questions in her eyes as she knew must be in hers. Ellie had mentioned that Jay and Spinner had talked about a group of missing Technos, and what Link was saying seemed to confirm this, but there was an air of secrecy about the whole thing. What was the full story? The pieces were beginning to come together, but they were starting to reveal a bigger picture than she had initially imagined. What Plague was doing now began to look like something that had been long in the planning, using captives taken during Ram's leadership of the Technos. That made him an even more serious threat.

A gust of wind caught her coat and the rain started beating down more heavily. A short distance away Gel shivered in Creg's arms as the wind passed her, and Darryl stood rubbing his arms.

'Go with Ellie,' she told Link. 'Back to the mall. You can have a hot drink and talk about this some more. If you want to.'

Link nodded. 'What about you?'

'Ruby has something she needs to do first,' Ellie replied, and Ruby smiled back gratefully.

'I'll see you back at the mall,' she said, then watched as the rest of the party gathered up their tools and left the park. Gel and Darryl walked hurriedly, with Darryl trying to squeeze himself in under the small pink umbrella Gel had produced from somewhere when it started raining. Creg followed behind them, occasionally looking back curiously at Ruby. When everyone was out of sight she knelt carefully by Ram's grave. The name on the cross, Gabe, reminded her of the obnoxious, germ-obsessed kid Slade had lumbered her with in Liberty, and whose secretive nature had so intrigued her. Over time, as she peeled back the layers of the man, she found herself growing attracted to his intellect, his wicked sense of humour, and the caring side he had shown to her that day at Java's graveside, until…

'_Come with me,' he said, standing at the top of the stairs in the Saloon, his bag packed and slung behind his back. She paused over the table she had been wiping down and looked at him. At the other end of the room Lottie was none too subtle as she stopped sweeping the floor and stood staring at them._

'_Me, fight Mega?' she said, arching an eyebrow. 'I don't think so.'_

'_You know that's not what I meant,' he said in a soft tone that sounded odd coming from him. 'I'd…enjoy the company. For the journey, you know? It's a long walk to the City.'_

'_What about this place?' she asked. 'It's not going to run itself.'_

'_It can manage without you for a while,' he replied simply._

'_Well I'd have to run it past my associate,' she said. 'What do you say Lottie? Fancy a trip to the City?'_

_But she had already made her decision, even before Lottie nodded her head excitedly._

That was the closest they had been to admitting their feelings to each other, that morning. She had never questioned him when they reached the City and he began spending all his time at the hotel; she knew his work would always come first. Not for the first time, however, she regretted never visiting him in those last few days.

Opening her belt pouch she took out the belt buckle she and Lottie had used at Ram's memorial, dug into the top of the grave with her hands, and buried it there, smoothing the earth over afterwards.

'Rest in peace, Ram,' she said with a smile, then she stood up, brushed her knees and walked out of the park, shutting the gate behind her.

* * *

'I miss Sammy!' Lottie moaned as she entered Bonnie and Gel's room. 'It's boring without him here.' Bonnie, sitting on the floor, failed to take the hint and continued playing with her toys. 'Where's Gel today?' she tried instead, sitting at the older Mallrat's dressing table. Most of her make-up things were locked in a drawer, but a solitary lipstick had been left out on the table so Lottie started playing with it, removing the top and twisting the stick up and down.

'At that guy's funeral,' Bonnie replied, still playing.

Lottie put the cap back on the lipstick, stuffed it in her pocket and swivelled in her chair. 'What'd she go there for?' she asked incredulously. Bonnie just shrugged; either she didn't know or she didn't care. Lottie pouted at the lack of attention, then started playing with her hair in front of the mirror. 'Bonnie, when Gel and Creg get married, do you think we'll get to be bridesmaids?' Seeing the other girl's stony stare in the mirror, she smirked. _That_ certainly got her attention! 'What are you doing anyway?' she asked, looking at the toys. A doll attacking a dinosaur.

'It's those stupid Skinks!' Bonnie cried, screwing up her face and throwing the dinosaur against the wall, where it bounced off with a pitiful squeak. Lottie watched appraisingly; Bonnie certainly had a good arm! 'It's like the Mozzies all over again!' she said. 'And I won't have it! I wish we could get back at them somehow.'

Lottie grinned mischievously. 'Maybe we can,' she said.

* * *

Spinner frowned as she reread the report. Fuel supplies were beginning to run low at some of the substations, and power failures were occurring in the outlying sectors of the City. She shook her head and filed the report away; no matter how you looked at it, it pointed to only one thing: Cable was taking his eye off the ball. Though he made a good show of being in control whenever she went up to see him, the evidence was there, and she wasn't the only one who had noticed; there were whispers among the Technicians that something was not right with their leader, and what Link had told her yesterday only confirmed it. Trying to ignore the situation, she busied herself with gathering together the equipment she needed for this morning's visit to the mall, but every time she passed her desk her eyes fell upon the disc she had taken from Link. If she could be sure that Cable would remain unaware then Elsa's death might have been the end of it, but now Relay had turned up dead as well. How many more? And if he was starting to snoop around, like Link said… She picked up the disc, turning it over in her hands. Technically speaking it was some of her best work, but how she wished she could turn the clock back…

_She put her head down and carried on working as Java entered the room, not wanting to draw attention to herself._

'_Wise move!' Ved laughed quietly beside her. 'Looks like she's in one of her moods again.'_

'_Ram?' Java hesitantly addressed her husband, who ignored her, engrossed as he was in the CCTV footage from the City._

'_Must have some bad news to deliver,' Ved continued. 'Man am I glad I'm not in her shoes right now!' Spinner flashed him an angry look and kept on working. She didn't want any trouble._

'_Ram?' Java repeated, more loudly. Ram's head shot up and he moved towards her, the speed of his wheelchair making the movement seem more abrupt after his stillness. Java took a step back. 'Lord Ram, there's still no sign of Jay and Ebony. Most of the units out looking for them have returned to base, but we lost contact with one of them. They've just…gone.'_

'_What do you mean, gone?' Ram edged closer the more Java tried to move away._

'_Their communications are all dead and they haven't come back. Nobody's seen anything of them since this morning. They've completely disappeared.'_

'_Give me that!' Ram snapped, snatching the folder Java was carrying. 'Let's see here, Unit 12...Relay, Data, Elsa, blah, blah, blah.' Spinner froze at the familiar names. 'Never heard of them. Just replace them with Unit 6 and get them out there again, I want Jay and Ebony found!'_

'_But Ram, a whole Unit…'_

'_Am I not making myself clear?!' Ram shouted. The room went quiet for a split second before the click of computer keys started up again. 'They're expendable, now get back out there!'_

_Java hesitated just that little bit too long._

'_NOW!'_

_Spinner waited until Java had left and Ram had busied himself with something else before making her excuses and leaving. She had had to find Cable, but by the time she reached him he had already heard the news. He was devastated, of course; Elsa had been everything to him. Over the next few weeks he changed completely, withdrawing into himself more and more. It was like a light inside of him had gone out, but in reality he was silently stewing, until one day he finally snapped._

'_I'm going to kill him, Spinner!' he roared as he barged past her in the corridor. If he hadn't been so quiet since he'd found out, she would probably have let him walk it off, but the sudden change in his mood made her take him seriously._

'_Cable don't be stupid!' she pleaded, turning on her heels to follow him._

'_Ram is a monster!' he yelled, striding ahead so she practically had to run to keep up. 'He deserves to die a thousand times for what he's done!'_

'_It's suicide!' she argued, once more quickening her step. 'You'll never get out alive!' She stopped suddenly as he wheeled around to face her._

'_I don't care,' he said, with a mad glint in his eyes. 'Just as long as I take him down with me.'_

_Startled, she paused for a moment while her friend stormed off. She couldn't leave him to it, but she couldn't reason with him either, so she did the only thing she could think of to stop him. She charged her zapper and raised the setting. 'This is for your own good,' she muttered before flexing her wrist. He crumpled to the ground as soon as the pulse hit him._

_She heard footsteps running down the corridor and two Technos, a man and a woman, appeared from around the corner._

'_What is it?' the young man asked, his long black hair shaking with each footfall. 'We thought we heard…' his words trailed off as he saw Cable._

_The woman put a hand to her mouth in shock. 'Did you…? Is he…?'_

'_He's not dead,' Spinner stated matter-of-factly. 'Help me get him in here.' She opened the nearest door, leading to a storeroom. The two Technos were too startled to argue and each grabbed a limb. It took all three of them to shift Cable's dead weight into the store. Once they were inside, Spinner locked the door._

'_What have you done?' the blonde girl asked hesitantly, casting worried glances at Spinner's zapper. Her companion stepped between them, shielding her with his body._

'_I'm not going to shoot you,' she said flatly, rolling her eyes. The pair didn't relax. 'But it had to be done. You girl, what's your name?'_

_The girl looked slightly taken aback. 'Link,' she replied._

'_You knew Relay, didn't you Link?' That surprised her even more._

'_What do you know about that?' Link breathed._

'_No more than anyone else it seems,' she answered. 'He lost someone from Unit 12 too.' She pointed to where Cable lay on the floor. 'And now he wants to kill Ram. You and I know that would never end well. You're going to help me put a stop to this idea.'_

'_And how are we supposed to do that?' the man asked. 'He's only going to be more angry when he wakes up.'_

'_Tag…' Link cautioned, putting a hand on his arm._

'_You're right,' she admitted. 'But leave me to worry about that. I'll be back in a few hours.'_

'_What?! You can't just leave us here!' Link protested._

'_What are we meant to do with him?' Tag spluttered._

'_Tie him up, gag him, anything!' she replied on her way out. 'Just don't let him out, and don't let anyone in unless it's me. I'll be back, I promise.' She left the room and locked the door, ignoring the pair's protests. It wouldn't be until the next morning when she finally returned, having worked through the night, even hacking into Ved's computer to access the software she needed._

'_What is that?' Link asked when she returned with the disc._

'_Memory deletion software,' she replied, much to their horror. Any other day and she might have been promoted for coming up with the idea, but nobody could ever know about this. And so, from that moment, the four of them became forever connected._

'Ma'am?'

The voice shook her out of her reminiscence and she quickly locked the CD in a drawer.

'Ma'am?' the female Technician at the door repeated. 'I knocked, but…'

'What do you want?' she snapped.

'It's the petitioners from Sector 4, ma'am,' the Technician replied without flinching, well-used to suffering abuse from her superiors. 'They're here to meet with Cable but he won't see them. I thought maybe you…'

'I'm far too busy,' she interrupted. 'Cable will just have to see them whether he likes it or not. It's about time he started pulling his weight around here.'

'But…'

'But nothing! Take them to Cable, I have places to be.'

'Yes ma'am,' the girl said nervously. For a moment Spinner thought she was going to say something else, but she lowered her eyes and left the room.

She waited for the sound of footsteps going down the stairs to fade before checking the lock on the drawer and getting the last of the equipment together that she needed to take to the mall. Once everything was ready she hoisted the case strap onto her shoulder and left the office, locking the door behind her and pocketing the key.

* * *

'There you go,' Ellie smiled, handing a cup of tea to Link.

'Thanks,' the Technician replied hoarsely before clearing her throat. 'It's been some morning.' She had stopped crying but her eyes were still red-rimmed.

'I'll bet,' Ellie sympathised.

They say in silence for a while as Link sipped her tea.

'I suppose you're wondering what happened back there,' she said after a while.

'Only when you're ready,' the Mallrat answered, holding up her hands to indicate there was no pressure.

'What do you already know?' Link asked.

'Not much,' Ellie shrugged. 'Just that there's a group of Technos that went missing a while back that nobody ever talks about. Elsa was one of them, and I'm guessing your friend was too, along with the two bodies Ruby and May found, but they disappeared before we could examine them.'

'Unit 12,' Link nodded. 'The units were randomly assigned every day, six Technos to each, so there were no loyalties to anyone but Ram. At least in theory. Unit 12 went missing while out searching for Jay and Ebony in the city. Nobody radioed for backup, and when we tried to contact them their communications were all down. Ram didn't order an investigation, he was too worried about what would happen to him if Jay and Ebony weren't found, so they went down as runaways.'

'Is it possible that they did run away?' Ellie asked.

'No,' Link stated with certainty. 'How could they have planned it? They didn't know they'd be working together until that morning, and besides, Relay just wouldn't have done that. Or Elsa.'

'Can I ask…' Ellie began. 'When you saw Elsa's grave you changed your mind about helping us. Why was that?'

Link sighed. 'Elsa and Cable were in love,' she explained. 'When she vanished, it nearly killed him. If he knew that members of Unit 12 were turning up dead in the City after so long…it would destroy him, and he'd pull the rest of us down with him. We have to stop Plague before the wrong person finds out what's happening. I'm sorry, I know it's a completely selfish reason for helping you, but I was too scared before. Scared that if I dug too deep then Unit 12 would come back to haunt us. Well now they have, and I'm scared of what will happen if I _don't_ do anything.'

Ellie smiled but said nothing. It _did_ seem selfish, considering the threat to the Mallrats, but she couldn't really blame her for keeping her distance originally. That was the way the world was now.

'So, how can I help?' the Technician asked. 'I can get you files on everyone from Unit 12. Maybe you can identify the other two who were found.'

'That's a good start,' Ellie agreed. 'And there's something else. It's just a theory at the moment, but I think you can help me track down Plague.'

* * *

Darryl stood at the entrance to the mall with his hands on the metal grille, watching May running out into the city. It had stopped raining, but judging by the clouds the worst of the storm was yet to come. May had been spending an increasing amount of time away from the mall since their…misunderstanding, and he still hadn't had a chance to put her right, not when she was going out of her way to avoid him. He only hoped he got to her before Amber decided to say something. That scenario played out in his nightmares and always ended badly for him; he really didn't want to get caught up in that crossfire. With a sigh he turned back to the mall and saw Lottie and Bonnie coming down the stairs with rucksacks on their backs. They stopped in front of him and smiled sweetly.

'What are you two doing?' he asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

'Playing,' Lottie smiled.

'Skink hunting,' Bonnie added. Lottie elbowed her in the ribs.

'Well not out there you're not,' he said, herding them away from the grille. 'Amber said you're not to go out while there's crazies about.'

'But May just went out,' Bonnie pouted.

'May can look after herself,' he explained.

'So can we!' Lottie argued.

'Nice try kids,' he chuckled. 'Why don't you find somewhere in the mall where you can play Skink hunting.'

'Awww, but Darryl!' the two girls echoed.

'Sorry, but them's the rules,' he shrugged. 'Now promise me you'll stay away from the grille.'

Bonnie whispered something in Lottie's ear and they both giggled. 'OK!' they both said, with innocent looks on their faces, and ran off into the mall laughing.

He nodded his head in smug satisfaction and proceeded up the stairs to his room. On the landing his stomach tied itself in knots as he saw Amber striding purposefully towards him.

'Darryl, hi!'

'Oh, hi Amber. Can I help you?'

'I've been talking to Trudy about how we can improve security, I just wanted to run my ideas past you if you've got time?'

'Sure,' he shrugged. 'Fire away.'

'Well we've been a bit lacking in muscle since Lex and Slade left,' she explained, conspicuously leaving out Jay. 'No offence!' she added, as an afterthought. 'But I've been thinking that Creg's been spending a lot of time here lately, so we might as well make it a permanent arrangement, ask him to join the tribe. What do you think?'

'Lex won't like it,' he warned.

'Lex isn't here,' she pointed out. 'And anyway I'm not asking Lex, I'm asking you. Creg, should he stay?'

'He seems pretty cool,' he replied. 'I don't see why not.'

'Good!' Amber beamed. 'Which brings me to my next point. I want to make him deputy head of security.'

'Deputy?'

'Yeah, we'll make May head of security until Lex comes back. Do you have a problem with that?'

He realised he was frowning. 'Oh no,' he said, forcing a smile. 'She is the obvious choice.'

'Good, because they'll be reporting to you,' she said.

'Me?!' he spluttered. 'But…'

'Well I wanted to free up some time for myself, to get on with City business,' she explained. 'But if you don't think you're up to it I could always…'

'No!' he cried. The further he could keep May and Amber from each other, the better. 'I was just…pleasantly surprised, that's all! Is…is that everything? _I don't think I could take any more 'pleasant surprises.'_

'That's it!' she smiled. 'Unless you have anything you want to add?'

'No, no!' he said, giving a weak laugh. 'Nothing to add!'

'Excellent!' she said, already walking away. 'Get those petitions to me by this afternoon?'

'Will do!'

His shoulders slumped as Amber left. May would not be happy about this; his nightmares were beginning to come true! But had he got it wrong about Amber? She had been completely businesslike just then, almost dismissive even. No sign that anything…untoward had happened the previous day. For some reason he was almost disappointed.

* * *

Trudy knelt on the floor in her room, helping Brady decide which of her dolls to play with. 'You want that one? Look, she's got a dress just like yours! Okay then, you play with that one.'

'Trudy?'

She turned her head to the doorway where Gel stood, looking upset. 'Oh Gel, sweetie, come in,' she said warmly, moving from the floor to her bed. 'Come and sit down.' Gel walked over despondently and sat next to her on the bed, resting her head against her shoulder. 'Bonnie said you were at the funeral this morning,' she said, putting a comforting arm around her. 'How was it?'

Gel shrugged slightly. 'Link, you know, that Technician girl? She got all upset at someone else's grave,' she sniffed. 'There's something funny going on with her, Ruby and Ellie. Ruby didn't even come back with the rest of us, she stayed behind at the graveyard.'

'That is a bit odd,' Trudy admitted. 'But you know hon, people get upset at funerals. She probably just needed a bit of time to compose herself.'

'It's not like any of us haven't been to a funeral before,' Gel said dryly.

'Oh, but I thought…?'

'That's not why I came to see you,' she said, starting to sniff again. 'It's Creg.'

'Oh no, what's the matter?' Trudy asked. 'What has he done?'

'Nothing!' Gel sobbed, lifting her head to wipe her eyes. 'He hasn't done anything!'

'I…I don't understand, sweetheart,' Trudy said. 'What is it that's upset you?'

'He doesn't want me Trudy,' the younger Mallrat sighed.

Trudy laughed in spite of herself. 'Oh Gel, we've all seen the two of you together; nothing could be further from the truth!'

'No, you don't understand!' Gel cried. 'He hasn't tried to…you know.' She quickly looked over at Brady before whispering 'to _do it_.'

'Oh.'

'See!' she wailed. 'He wants to dump me!'

'Oh no, honey, don't say that!' Trudy said, desperately trying to comfort the other girl. 'It's really nothing to worry about. I mean, you've only just started seeing each other.'

'But Lex…'

'Woah, stop right there!' she ordered. 'Gel, not every man is like Lex, okay? This is a good thing.'

'So…he's not going to dump me?'

'I very much doubt it!' Trudy laughed. 'Look, if you're that worried, why don't you talk to Creg about it? You'll probably find he's just as nervous as you are.'

'You think so?' Gel asked, letting out a last few sniffs. 'Thanks Trudy.'

'Any time,' she smiled. As Gel stood up to leave, Trudy caught her hand. 'Just don't rush into anything, okay? Enjoy spending time with each other!'

Gel smiled and nodded, then left the room. Trudy laughed and shook her head, then went back to playing with Brady.

* * *

'So are you happy with the plan?' Ellie asked, tidying away the tea things.

'Yes,' Link replied. 'I can get the Unit 12 files easily enough, but the others…Mega's files are all protected, it could take me a while to access them.'

'I'm sorry,' Ellie said. 'It could all be for nothing, but if Plague is messing with viruses, and had something to do with the Unit 12 disappearances, then it's possible he was a Techno himself, working on Mega's secret lab. If we can just get a list of names, I don't know, maybe we can find some clues.'

'Well I can give you one name straight off,' Link admitted. 'Spinner.'

'Is somebody taking my name in vain?' Spinner announced, suddenly appearing in the doorway. Ellie and Link's heads both shot in her direction.

'What are you doing here?' Link asked.

'I'm here for Jack of course,' she replied. 'You do still want me to help him, don't you Ellie?'

* * *

Ruby let the grille close behind her with a crash and gave a contented sigh, glad to be back inside.

'Ruby, you're back!' Darryl greeted her.

'Yeah, I just had to do something,' she replied vaguely. 'Have I missed anything?'

'Not really,' he shrugged. 'Looks like it's going to be a quiet day today.'

The sound of running footsteps behind them caught their attention, and they turned in time to see a ragged looking kid dash away out of the entranceway. They also saw the piece of paper that had been left behind, stuffed inside the grille. They looked at each other in dismay.

'Not again,' Ruby breathed.

* * *

The Skinks lived by the waterfront, in the old fish market, a network of little buildings used for storing and processing fish, encircling a forum of ramshackle market stalls. The perfect cover, Lottie thought, for their mission. Leaving the mall through the sewers had added to their already impressive array of unpleasant water bombs. Hearing a shuffling noise behind her she whirled round, ready to throw, but it was only Bonnie.

'Where have you been?' she asked. 'I was getting worried.'

'Just filling up,' the other girl replied, and demonstrated by firing her water pistol at some unsuspecting seagulls.

'Nice!' she commented, watching the stream of distinctly murky-looking water coming from the nozzle. 'Are you ready?' She smeared war paint on her face and passed it to Bonnie for her to do the same.

'Oh yes!' her friend replied, turning away from the flustered birds.

'Then let's go!'

Giggling with delight, the pair ran headlong into enemy territory.

* * *

Jack could do nothing to protest as he felt himself being hooked up to the machinery, and he could have been physically sick when the headset finally went on.

'Don't worry Ellie, you've made the right decision,' he heard Spinner say.

_No she jolly well hasn't!_ he thought bitterly. He hadn't heard a word from Ellie, and it was only Spinner's words and the smell of her that told him she was there at all. _There's still time to say no!_

'Right, now let's get started,' the Technician said. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then he started to feel a tingling in his brain, so tiny at first that he thought he was imagining it, but gradually getting stronger as all his synapses began working overtime. He felt exhausted in a matter of seconds, surely his head was about to explode.


	31. The Storm Breaks

'Is anything happening?' Ellie asked nervously. The lights on Jack's headset were flashing, but there was no other visible sign that Spinner, standing next to Jack's bed with the laptop, had begun anything. She didn't know what she expected to happen exactly, but somehow this seemed a little…anticlimactic.

'Spinner?' she pressed when the Technician didn't respond.

'Hmm? Oh!' the other girl said, not sounding completely focussed. 'Oh yes, something is happening alright!' She turned the laptop around briefly so that Ellie could see. From what she had been told the day before, Ellie knew that the flashing lights on the image of Jack's brain indicated areas of activity. At the moment it looked like there was a firework display going off in his head!

She gasped when she saw the image. 'Can…can he feel all that?' she asked.

'I expect so,' Spinner said absentmindedly.

'Is he in pain?'

'Look. I told you yesterday,' Spinner sighed. 'This is new science. The only person who can answer that question is Jack. If I had to guess I'd say it probably feels a bit like a migraine, but it _is_ just a guess. Better than his current state though, isn't it?'

Ellie turned her head and bit her lip to avoid saying something she might regret. This wasn't fair! She felt frustrated and helpless, and Spinner's attitude towards the whole thing wasn't helping. It was as if she were giving each answer reluctantly. She knew that she should be grateful; she was the one who had asked for help, which Spinner had not had to agree to, and the Technician had never made any promises, but it wasn't like she had been forced to help either, so why was she being so difficult?

Composing herself once more, she turned to face Jack and Spinner again. As soon as she did so her jaw dropped as she noticed Jack's hand clutching the bed sheets. Her initial joy soon turned to fear, however, as she realised that he must be in pain. Why wasn't Spinner doing anything? The seconds ticked by like hours as Spinner just stood staring into the monitor, looking bored, until finally she heard herself shouting 'Stop!' and found herself on her feet.

Spinner blinked and looked at her. Had she even been concentrating?

'Stop the machine!' she ordered again.

'What?'

'You're hurting him!' she shrieked, pointing at Jack's hands. 'Turn it off, now!'

'But…'

'NOW!'

Spinner hurriedly pressed a few buttons and the headset shut down with a low hum. Jack's hands released instantly. Despite the Technician's protests Ellie pulled the headset off, letting out a cry of dismay when she saw Jack's eyes staring blankly up at her.

'You've killed him!' she screamed, throwing herself over him.

'He…he's not dead!' Spinner said, checking his pulse. Sure enough, she started to feel the rise and fall of his chest beneath her. 'The eyes,' Spinner added. 'It's just a response.' Jack's eyes closed again, only to flutter open a moment later.

Ellie stood up straight and slapped the Technician. 'How's that for a response?' she spat. 'Where was yours when he was clearly in pain? How could you not have noticed?'

Spinner's shock turned to anger. 'Oh, so you think I was deliberately trying to harm him, do you? Is that what you're saying?'

'Get out!' Ellie shouted. 'I want you to leave!'

'With pleasure!' Spinner shouted back, hastily gathering together her things. 'You Virts are all the same,' she muttered as she left the room. 'I don't know what Jay ever saw in you lot.' The curtain in the doorway fluttered in the wake of her exit, and Ellie fell rather than sat down on the bed next to Jack, taking one of his hands in hers.

'I'm sorry,' she told him. 'I just needed you back. I thought it was the only way.' Jack's eyes continued to slowly open and close. It must be a good sign, mustn't it?

'Please get better soon.'

* * *

Ruby arched an eyebrow as Spinner glared at her and Darryl on her way out of the mall. 'What's her problem?' Darryl frowned.

'I don't know,' she replied. 'And I don't care. Right now we've got problems of our own. Big ones.' She waved the envelope that had been left in the grille in his face to remind him.

'Hadn't we better open it?' he asked.

Scared as she was of the envelope's contents, he was right. They had to know what was inside. Reluctantly she stuck her finger under the flap and tore it open, unfolding the piece of paper that was inside.

'What…what does it say?' Darryl asked. 'Is it from him?'

She nodded as she scanned the note. 'Oh no,' she whispered as she reached the end.

'What?' Darryl squeaked.

'Where are Lottie and Bonnie?' she asked urgently.

'Th…they were around earlier,' he stammered.

'LOTTIE! BONNIE!' she shouted. 'When did you last see them? Come on, Darryl! Think!'

'They tried to get out of the mall earlier,' he said. 'Said they were going Skink hunting. I told them to go and play inside.'

'And you haven't seen them since?'

He shook his head.

'LOTTIE!' she called again. 'BONNIE!'

'What's going on?' Gel asked as she and Creg came down the stairs.

'Have you seen the kids?' she asked them.

'Not since before we left this morning,' Gel replied. 'But I want a word with that Lottie, I can't find my lipstick. Has she taken something of yours too?'

Ruby showed them the note.

'No!' Gel wailed. Creg crumpled it in his fist angrily. 'How could he?' he fumed.

'Darryl said they tried to get out earlier, to go 'Skink hunting'. They probably went out through the sewers.'

'Darryl, come with me,' Creg ordered. 'You two go and tell Amber.' Darryl brushed past her to follow him out of the mall.

'Where are you going?' she called after them.

'To the Skinks,' Creg replied.

'But this is from Plague!'

'It's the only lead we have,' he shrugged, then disappeared out of the mall with Darryl.

'I suppose we'd better do as he says then,' she said. 'Gel?'

Gel stood rooted to the spot, looking torn. 'I'm sorry Ruby,' she said finally, running off after Creg and Darryl.

'Gel, come back! It's too dangerous! Gel!'

'Ruby?' She turned round to see Ellie standing behind her. 'What's all the commotion?'

She picked up the crumpled note from the floor and held it out to her. Ellie let out a sigh. 'Not again.'

'I'm afraid so,' she said. 'We need to find Amber.'

* * *

Amber rubbed her eyes as the words on the page started to blur, then gave up and slumped dejectedly onto her desk, letting out a low moan of boredom. She longed to be back in the countryside, away from the stresses and strains of the City, even if just for a little while, but she knew that she couldn't. Not because of her duty to the people, or even the Mallrats, though deep down she did still take both very seriously, but because she feared she might not want to come back. Perhaps it was just as well that the Ecos had disowned her.

A purposeful knock came at the door.

'Come in,' she sighed, the words muffled by the table. She forced herself to lift her head. Ruby and Ellie stood before her, looking troubled. She didn't have to ask why they were here. 'He's been in contact again?'

Ruby nodded and handed her the note. As she read to the end of it she felt a fear rising inside her that she hadn't felt since Mega had threatened Bray. 'What does he mean "where are your children"?' she asked.

'Lottie and Bonnie are out of the mall,' Ruby replied, then quickly added. 'But Darryl and Creg are out looking for them. And…and Gel. We think they went to play a trick on the Skinks.'

'Oh, this is all we need,' Amber groaned, rubbing her temples. 'What were they even doing outside…no, it doesn't matter, what's done is done.' Her thoughts raced but she had to calm down and concentrate on what was important. 'You said the others are out looking for them?'

Ruby nodded. 'Creg's taken them to the Skinks' sector,' she said, sounding irritated. 'But it could be a wild goose chase for all we know! We need to be out there looking for Plague!'

Amber took a deep breath, thinking things through. 'No,' she said finally. Ruby ground her teeth. 'At least, not yet. Creg's right, if that's the last place we know they went then it makes sense to look there. There's no point leaving the mall defenceless while we search the whole city. Best to try the avenues we're more sure of first, unless you've made any developments locating Plague that I'm not aware of?'

'No,' Ruby shook her head sadly.

'Yes,' Ellie said at the same time. Ruby whipped her head around, looking hurt. 'Well, no,' Ellie blushed. 'Nothing that would help with this, but I've been talking to Link this morning, and she's going to try and get her hands on some old Techno personnel files. I think that Plague might have worked with Mega. That's what I was coming to tell you,' she added, for Ruby's benefit. Ruby looked placated, but Amber was concerned.

'Link's a Technician? Can we trust her?' she asked.

'I like her,' Ellie said, and Ruby nodded agreement. It wasn't strictly answering the question, but Amber suspected it was the best she was going to get. 'There's more, isn't there?' she asked, picking up the note again. 'This suggests there was some significance to where it was left. What's that all about?'

This time it was Ruby's turn to blush. Ellie looked as though she were wrestling with thoughts she would rather not have.

'It was pushed through the grille,' Ruby said.

'Like the first one?'

'No,' Ruby admitted. 'That was another messenger. He gave it to Bonnie, but you were so angry that we'd kept it from you I didn't want to get her tangled up in it all too, so I lied. That's the only reason, and the only thing we've kept from you since then.'

Amber bit her tongue to keep herself from further admonishing the pair, and schooled her face to calmness while pretending to re-read the letter. They had promised! But there really had been no reason to mix Bonnie up in the whole affair, and it wasn't like it was of any great importance on the grand scale of things. She had to trust them. If she couldn't trust her own tribe, who could she trust?

'Don't you see what this all means?' Ellie finally spoke out, addressing them both. 'This whole letter, it hasn't been about the kids at all. It's about him telling us he knows! He knows we lied about how that first note got here; he knows Lottie and Bonnie left the mall. He knows because he's watching us, or he's got someone else doing it for him.'

Amber nodded slowly, agreeing but not wanting to, and Ruby had a look on her face that said she'd missed something obvious. 'He's trying to scare us,' Amber said finally. 'But what can we do?'

'The way I see it,' Ellie continued. 'There are three possibilities. The first is that he's using bugs, like Mega did, though that still means somebody has come in and set them recently, since Jack and I got rid of those ones.'

'And the other two?' Amber asked, though she had guessed them already.

'Either somebody is sneaking around our home,' Ellie answered. 'Or it's one of us. There's a spy in the mall.'

Amber and Ruby both nodded, then noticed each other nodding and stopped. 'Right, well, first things first,' Amber stated. 'We deal with what we can deal with. Ellie, do you still have that bug detector?' The other Mallrat nodded. 'Then use it, see if that's how he's doing it and report back here in an hour.' Ellie stood up and walked to the door, and Ruby made as if to follow her. 'Not you, Ruby,' Amber stopped her. 'I'd like to speak with you a little longer.' Ruby sat down again with her arms folded and a stubborn, sulky set to her jaw that said she meant to fight her corner. Ellie gave her a sympathetic look before leaving the room. As soon as the door closed, Ruby opened her mouth.

'Look, I know it was wrong to keep it from you, but I've told you everything now…'

'Ruby,'

'And in any case I hardly think it warrants keeping me here when there's work…'

'Ruby!'

Ruby reluctantly stopped talking.

'Thank you,' Amber said. 'I didn't keep you here to chastise you, though clearly that's what you _and_ Ellie seem to think.' Ruby opened her mouth angrily. 'Well maybe it's not without reason,' Amber finished quickly. 'But truthfully, I just wanted to talk.' She waited to make sure that Ruby was going to listen before continuing. 'I spoke to Trudy yesterday. She made me realise a few things.' She thought of Darryl and allowed herself a small smile. 'One of those things,' she said, bringing herself back to the matter at hand. 'Is that I've been far too harsh on you and Ellie. Especially you. I guess I was hurt that you thought I couldn't deal with it, and jealous that Ellie trusted you over me. And I was scared, scared that you were right, that I _couldn't_ deal with it. I'm still not sure that I can,' she laughed nervously. 'But for what it's worth, I'm sorry.'

'I'm sorry too,' Ruby said reluctantly, after a while. 'I still stand by my decision, but part of it was pride. I didn't have to be so stubborn about it, I just wanted to prove that I could still be my own person, not just part of a tribe, doing whatever you say.'

'That's not how we do things here,' Amber said.

'I know. Now I do.'

'You know what Trudy said?' Amber smiled. 'She said we were alike, you and I. I don't know you well enough to say, but I'd like to. I'd like to be your friend, Ruby.' She held out her hand. 'Truce?'

Ruby studied the hand that was offered to her for a moment then smiled, taking it in her own. 'I'd like to be your friend, too,' she said.

* * *

Link crossed the great court of the power station, unmindful of the huge generators rising up like monsters to her left, droning away noisily and sending vibrations through the floor. She ignored them partly because the room always frightened her slightly, though not directly because of the machines, which she understood; the place was like a temple to the technology of the adults and when it was empty of people, as it was right now, she imagined she could feel their ghosts watching her, judging her. But that was only part of the reason she paid the room no mind; she had more important things to worry about. She was concentrating on the clipboard in her hands, holding the printouts of the personnel files for the Unit 12 Technos. Relay and Elsa she knew were dead, and out of the remaining four - Sparks, Proxy, Static and Data - at least two were also dead. She had only known one of those four, Data, but she didn't hold out much hope for her, or any of them. She only wished they could be given a decent burial, like Relay and Elsa. _Ruaridh_, she told herself. _His name was Ruaridh_.

She turned around, clutching the clipboard to her chest, at the sound of footsteps approaching at a brisk pace, echoing in the large room despite the sound of the generators. Spinner stormed into the great hall from the reception area of the building, passing Tag's office on her way to the stairs leading up to her own, not noticing Link standing by the railings overlooking the lower level.

'That was quick,' she shouted across to her superior. Spinner gave a start and glared at her, altering her course to make a beeline straight for her, and she half wished she hadn't spoken.

'That…that _Mallrat_!' Spinner spluttered when she reached her.

'You mean Ellie?'

'Who else?' Spinner gesticulated angrily. 'She made me stop almost as soon as I'd started because she thought her precious Jack was in pain! What did she expect? I was trying to shift his brain back on the right track! You can't get much more invasive than that!'

'Well since she's not one of us,' Link explained, more politely than she felt. 'I imagine she expected whatever you told her, which knowing you wasn't much. Is Jack alright?'

Spinner glared at her even more. 'Who knows?' she replied with an uncaring shrug. 'She practically yanked the headset off him almost before it was safe! All these accusations and then she nearly goes and kills him herself! What is it with these people? Trying to interfere in things they don't understand! Can't they just let us get on with it?'

Link laughed. 'They don't trust us Spinner!' she said in disbelief that she had to explain it. 'Can you blame them after Ram and Mega? It's going to take time for them to forget we were Technos a matter of weeks ago. Even longer the way you're going.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Spinner demanded, clearly affronted.

'You're not exactly a shining example of public relations,' Link replied. 'Speaking of which,' she added, cutting off whatever retort Spinner had been about to give. 'We've got some serious damage control to do with those kids that came to see Cable earlier, you know, about the power cuts in Sector 4?'

'Pah!' Spinner dismissed. 'I saw Tag's report! What are they using it all for anyway? There's only so much we can provide, if they want any more they can come and generate it themselves. Maybe then they'll realise how much work it takes!'

'That's not the point!' Link argued. 'Spinner, he threw a chair at them!'

The Technicians' second-in-command stood in stunned silence for a moment before visibly sagging. 'Damn it, Link!' she cried in frustration. 'Why does it always have to be me?'

'Because you made it that way,' Link replied in an exasperated tone, angry but sympathetic. She didn't envy the position the other woman had put herself in. 'You made _him_ that way. All those feelings about Elsa's disappearance are returning, but he doesn't know why he's feeling them. Is it any wonder he's behaving the way he is? He was your _friend_, Spinner! Maybe it's time…' she was cut off by Spinner's slap.

'Will you stop saying that name!' Spinner yelled, livid. 'Don't you think that I wish there had been another way? I did what I had to do to save his life! Every day I have to live with that decision and try and make sure he never remembers, but I can't deal with it all, Link! Cable, Ellie, Unit 12, Sector 4! Can't you all just leave me alone for one minute?'

'Be careful what you wish for, Spinner,' Link said in a dangerously soft tone, clutching the side of her face. 'You don't have many allies in this place as it is.'

She gave a contemptuous sniff before leaving the other Technician standing there, Spinner's shouting of her name becoming one with the drone of the generators in the back of her mind.

* * *

Entering her office, Spinner slammed the door shut and screamed in frustration. Did Link not care that she and Tag would get pulled down too if their secret were revealed? Sitting at her desk she rested her elbows on the table and held her head in her hands. She had a pounding headache. There was too much on her mind, Cable's behaviour, the Unit 12 bodies showing up, now these Virts - Ellie and those Sector 4 kids - and on top of all that she had a power station to run! Reclining in her chair she tried to think. Her mother had always told her not to waste her time worrying about things she couldn't do anything about, as there was always enough that she could do something about to occupy herself with; she had certainly got that part right. Her eyes drifted to the locked desk drawer that held the CD Link had retrieved from the storeroom. Right now that seemed like one of the few things she had any control over, and it would certainly buy her some time for the others. Making the decision she unlocked the drawer and took out the disc and her old Techno zapper. Strapping the latter to her wrist, she checked outside her door to make sure nobody was passing before heading along the walkway to Cable's office, her boots ringing traitorously on the metalwork. There was no way Cable wouldn't hear her coming.

'Go away!' the leader of the Technicians bellowed when she knocked on his door. She shrugged as if justifying to herself what she was about to do, then barged in. 'What!' Cable spluttered. 'I thought I said…' He slumped over his desk, silenced, as she shot him. Quickly locking the door, she moved over and sat him upright, with difficulty, so that she could access the laptop he had fallen across. She uploaded the software from the CD and picked up one of several headsets Cable kept lying around.

'I'm sorry, old friend,' she said, squeezing his arm before putting the headset onto him.

* * *

'In here!' Bonnie whispered, crouching down by one of the strange fish huts and pointing through the window. Lottie crawled back to where her friend was, not easy to do laden down with weapons as she was, and peeked above the windowsill to the room within. The whole of the Skink tribe was there, having some sort of meeting.

'Excellent!' Lottie whispered in reply. 'Come on, this way.'

She led Bonnie round to the side of the building, where a set of external stairs gave access to the upper floor. Bonnie quickly looked around to make sure the coast was clear and suddenly gave a start, fixing her gaze on one of the buildings on the other side of the complex. The clouds had darkened ominously since they had arrived here, making it hard to see, but they had checked those buildings already and they were all empty.

'What is it?' Lottie asked, panicking slightly.

Bonnie remained calm. 'I thought…no, there can't be anybody there. Let's do this.' She stalked up the stairs, barely making a noise, and Lottie followed, wincing whenever one of the wooden boards beneath her feet gave the tiniest creak. At the top of the stairs Bonnie opened the door a crack. It squeaked noisily and she hastily stopped.

'What do we do?' Lottie moaned. 'We've come this far, we can't stop now!'

Bonnie raised a hand to silence her. 'Wait,' her friend said. 'Listen, and get ready.'

Lottie listened, and began to hear the voices of the Skinks having their meeting below. Occasionally the discussion was peppered with cheers or rounds of harsh laughter that made her want to turn back. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all. The decision was taken out of her hands, however, as at the next round of laughter Bonnie pushed the door open all the way and rushed in, pulling Lottie along with her.

Inside it was dark, but as her eyes became accustomed to it Lottie realised that the upper floor wasn't a room as such, rather a storage area. There was a large space in the middle of the floor where they could see the Skinks below, and huge mechanical cranes in the roof space that would lift crates from the lower room to this level. Bonnie tiptoed to the edge and peered over. 'Oh this is too good!' she gushed, and started to unfasten one of her water bombs.

Suddenly Lottie was aware of another presence in the room. She whirled around to face the door they had entered from, and gave a sigh of relief when she saw Creg standing there. Creg, however, had his eyes firmly on Bonnie, who was holding a water bomb over the edge of the platform.

'Don't even…' he began, but Bonnie just smirked at him and stuck her tongue out. Then she dropped the bomb. A woman screamed, and all hell broke loose in the lower room.

'You little…' Creg started, then shook his head. 'Out!' he shouted at the pair of them, and Lottie found herself being herded back down the stairs with Bonnie. 'Run!' Creg ordered when they reached the bottom, giving them both a shove. 'Run!' And Lottie and Bonnie ran. Looking across at her friend, Lottie saw that Bonnie was grinning, and soon she started grinning too, laughing at the sheer insanity of what they had just done. Turning her head to look back, she realised that Creg was no longer with them. He had remained behind outside the Skinks' meeting room, and now the tribe burst out of the door to confront him.

'What is he doing?' Lottie wailed. 'Why is he just standing there?' Abruptly she screamed as she passed a building and a pair of arms wrapped around her, and she was vaguely aware of another pair grabbing Bonnie. She struggled and kicked, but her captor held tight, so she bit the hand that tried to cover her mouth.

'Ow! Lottie!' Darryl complained, releasing her. 'Man, that really hurt!' She faced him in surprise and gave a breathy laugh, relieved to see him, and ashamed to have attacked him.

'Sorry Darryl,' she mumbled. She looked at Bonnie, standing with Gel, who arched an amused eyebrow at her. Evidently her friend had realised sooner than she had who their captors were. Gel eyed Darryl's bleeding fingers with alarm, glad to have escaped the same fate.

'What's taking Creg so long,' the older girl asked anxiously. The four of them peeked around the corner of the building and saw Creg running in the opposite direction, being chased by half a dozen Skinks. The rest of the tribe were egging their fellows on. 'Where's he going?' Gel cried. 'We're over here!'

'He's trying to lead them away from us,' Darryl explained. 'Come on, Gel! We have to get back to the mall!'

'We can't just leave him!' Gel replied, aghast.

'Creg can take care of himself,' Darryl argued. 'We'd only get in the way. Besides, we have to get the girls back.'

Gel made a whining noise and looked after Creg, running off towards the other side of the market. A push start from Darryl was all she needed, however, to begin running herself, all the way back to the mall.

* * *

The door to her tiny office burst open and Link gave a start, jumping to her feet as she saw Cable framed in the doorway, a furious expression on his face. She wished she had kept her old zapper.

'Where's that report?' he demanded. 'I won't take your sloppiness anymore, Link!'

Link stood there wide-eyed, her mouth working. 'Wh-what report?' she stammered finally. Had he finally lost his grip on reality?

Cable glared at her for a few moments, then abruptly his lips quivered and he broke out in a grin. 'Your face!' he laughed, entering the room and perching himself on the edge of her desk familiarly. 'Relax! I just came to see how you were doing,' he explained. 'I feel like we haven't talked for ages. I've just been so caught up getting this place up and running again.' He stared past her for a moment, looking confused.

'Are…are you alright?' she asked, placing a hand on his arm hesitantly, still unsure as to his mood.

He shook himself and smiled again. 'I think I've been working too hard,' he laughed. 'The last few days feel like a complete blur. But what do you say? We should have a proper catch-up, relax a bit.'

'We should,' she agreed. 'But not right now.' Cable's smile faded. 'It's just that I've got some tests I need to finish for Spinner and you know what she's like. I'm sorry Cable, we'll catch up soon though? You're right, it's been too long.' She really was sorry. It had been so long since they had last talked just as friends, and she missed the old Cable, but it was far too strange seeing him suddenly change like this. She needed time to get over that before she could relax in his company again.

'You'd think she was a robot, the way she focuses on her work!' Cable joked. 'Where is she anyway? I'm sure she's avoiding me!'

'Funny that,' Link mumbled. Aloud she said 'I wish I knew! There's a few things I'd like to speak to her about myself.'

Cable stood up again and headed for the door. 'Don't forget!' he said to her. 'Come and see me when you're done with those tests. I want to know everything you've been up to!' With a jolly wave he left the room, and she heard him whistling as he walked off down the corridor.

Shakily, she sat down again herself. Spinner. She must have used the disc again; there was no other explanation. Anger bubbled up inside of her. How could she do that to him again? Cable's brain wasn't some faulty piece of hardware she could reset whenever it did something she didn't like. What kind of effect would it be having on him?

'That woman!' she growled in frustration, banging her fist on the desk.

* * *

Gel anxiously paced up and down the entrance hall of the mall, awaiting Creg's return. She wasn't very good at judging time since the Virus, but it felt like hours had passed since she, Darryl and the girls had arrived back, running all the way. What was taking him so long? He must have lost the Skinks by now, mustn't he?

She turned, and there he was. He staggered into the mall, barely staying on his feet, clutching his side as he shuffled along painfully. Seeing Gel standing there he let out a sigh of relief and slid down the pillar he was leaning against, unable to summon up the energy to move any further. She immediately shrieked and rushed over to him, gingerly trying to support him without hurting him, but he was too heavy for her to move by herself. His face was barely recognisable under a mask of bruises, and dirt and blood covered the rest of his body too. He looked up to the balcony and she followed his eyes just in time to see a small figure, Lottie or Bonnie she thought, running out of sight. Creg shook his head then winced at the pain.

'Help!' Gel cried. 'Somebody, help!'

Trudy appeared at the top of the stairs. 'Gel? What's the matter?' she asked, then saw Creg's bloodied face and gasped. 'Oh no! Amber! Amber, bring the first aid box!' she shouted, rushing down the stairs just as the rest of the Mallrats started emerging in the courtyard and on the landing, to see what all the commotion was. She crouched down on the other side of Creg and together the two girls managed to stand him up and walk him slowly over to the edge of the fountain, sitting him down on the low wall surrounding it. Before long the whole tribe was gathered by the fountain, looking on as Amber tended to the wounds on Creg's face and chest; all except Jack of course, and May, who was nowhere to be found. Ellie and Ruby stood a little way off, whispering to each other. Trudy sat on the other side of the fountain, rocking Bray and trying to keep Brady occupied at the same time, while Darryl stood nearby with a hand on the shoulders of Lottie and Bonnie to keep them out of trouble. The drumming of the rain on the roof told Gel that the storm clouds she had seen outside had finally broken, but she didn't care, not now that Creg was safely back in the mall.

'I hope you're grateful!' she snapped at the two girls, her initial worry for them now melting into anger. 'That could have been you if Creg hadn't come and rescued you!' Lottie at least looked shamefaced, though Bonnie just looked sulky. Gel tutted and turned her head, unable to look at the pair any longer.

Amber closed her first aid box and turned to her. 'Now's not the time for blame, Gel,' she said sympathetically. 'But we're all very grateful for what Creg did for us today. It was brave of you to go after the girls like that,' she said, addressing Creg now. 'Even more so to help the others escape like you did, especially when you hardly know us.' Creg shrugged uncomfortably. 'I've spoken to some of the others about this, and now seems as good a time as any,' Amber continued. 'If you want to, Creg, we'd like to take a vote to elect you into the tribe.'

Gel beamed and clasped her hands together in pleasant surprise. Creg looked over to her and she nodded excitedly. He turned back to Amber and nodded himself. 'I'd like that,' he said with as much of a smile as he could muster.

'Well then,' Amber said, turning to the group. 'This is pretty much a full house, what do you say Mallrats? Who votes for Creg to join the tribe?' She raised her own hand and was followed almost immediately by Gel herself, with Trudy, Darryl and Lottie not too far behind. Brady, seeing people raising their hands, put up both of hers and jumped around excitedly. Bonnie looked around before raising her hand reluctantly, while Ruby and Ellie looked at each other before doing the same, if more decisively than the younger Mallrat had. Gel grinned at Creg.

'Trust me to get caught in the storm!' May complained, entering the courtyard from outside. Her silver jacket was soaking wet and her hair clung to her face. 'What's going on here?'

'Ah, May!' Amber smiled. 'Perfect timing. We were voting on whether Creg should join the Mallrats. You're the only person who hasn't had a say.'

May scanned the raised hands and arched an eyebrow in wry amusement, seeing that her vote wouldn't make a difference either way. 'Yeah, whatever,' she sighed, half-raising her hand too. 'You sure you know what you're letting yourself in for?' she smirked at Creg before continuing into the mall proper, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind her. Ruby and Ellie watched her go with curious looks.

'Right, well that's unanimous then!' Amber smiled. 'Welcome to the Mallrats, Creg!'

Gel clapped her hands and ran to hug him, ignoring his pained grunts and Amber's cautions about spoiling her work.

* * *

At a nod from Amber, Ellie caught Ruby's attention and led her away from the assembled Mallrats, now including Creg, in the courtyard.

'Back to work,' Ellie said softly so as not to be overheard. To her disappointment the bug test she had conducted earlier had uncovered nothing; she had been sure Spinner must have been up to no good in the mall, and if anyone was connected to Plague she would have bet that it was her, but the Technician appeared to be innocent. Of this crime at least; just because she hadn't been planting bugs it didn't mean she could be trusted. No, however Plague was getting his information it was far less hi-tech than bugging, which meant she and Ruby would have to resort to good old-fashioned detective work. Amber was determined that they come up with answers as soon as possible. It was all a worry for Ellie though; could she have been wrong about the Techno connection altogether? Was she leading Link on a wild goose chase? Worse still, had Link's outburst at the graveyard merely been a ploy to put them on the wrong scent? No, Link was no Spinner. The connection to Mega was the only lead they had, there was no point abandoning it now.

Ruby grimaced as if she had been having the same thoughts. 'Ok,' she agreed. 'Your room?'

Ellie nodded and started up the stairs. The sound of the rain outside got louder as they climbed; it didn't sound as if it were going to end anytime soon. Still, at least it should keep Plague at bay, unless his spy was at work in the mall right now. A rumble of thunder sounded overhead and she shivered.

Entering the room she stopped at Jack's bedside and patted his hand. 'Just me and Ruby,' she said, letting him know they were here. His eyes were closed again, but they had been opening more often since the morning and deep down she was quietly confident that he had reached a turning point in his condition. All she could do now was wait, and hope. Sitting on one of the chairs by the desk, she motioned for Ruby to do the same. 'Where do we start?' she asked.

'Creg,' Ruby answered without hesitation. I can't believe that Plague can have people sneaking in here without any of us noticing anything. That suggests it's an inside job, and Creg's the obvious prime suspect. I _want_ to like him, I mean he saved Lottie! But what do we really know about him?'

'I agree,' Ellie said. 'He's new to the tribe, just when all this is kicking off. At least officially making him a Mallrat means we can keep a better eye on him.' She shook her head in annoyance. 'But we've got no proof of anything! Okay so we don't know much about Creg, but what do we know about Darryl? He managed to fool the whole city that Zoot was still alive! And for that matter, what do we know about Bonnie and Lottie? They're new to the tribe too!'

'And me,' Ruby admitted.

Ellie blushed. 'You know I didn't mean you.'

'But it's true,' the other girl shrugged.

A sudden movement at the curtain drew Ellie's eye and she saw a shadow at the doorway. Whoever it was, they weren't making any effort either to announce themselves or to move on. Not giving the figure a chance to escape, she darted out of the room, coming face to face with a very startled Trudy.

'Ellie!' Trudy breathed, putting a hand to her chest in fright. 'I…I didn't mean to…Is it true? What you were saying, that one of us is spying for Plague?'

Ruby appeared at the doorway beside her, frowning at Trudy. 'It's true,' she said.

Trudy looked around nervously. 'Are we safe?' she asked, as if expecting an attack right then and there. 'Shouldn't we warn the others?'

'No!' Ellie cried. 'Trudy, you can't tell anybody! You'll just alert Plague to the fact that we're on to him!' Trudy nodded reluctantly, eyes still wide.

'What…what were you doing standing outside?' Ruby asked, trying but failing to sound innocent. Ellie winced.

'I…I was just coming to see how Jack was,' Trudy stammered. 'Wait…' Realising what Ruby was getting at she began to regain some of her confidence. 'You don't think that _I_…' She took a step back to distance herself from the pair.

'Trudy…' Ellie began.

'How could you?' Trudy shouted. 'Because I didn't want to disturb you, suddenly I'm a _spy_? If you want to investigate somebody why don't you start with May? She's been constantly in and out of the mall since Darryl upset her. Did you know she has feelings for him? And that she thinks he's seeing Amber? No? Of course not, because you're too busy accusing me! Well it's nice to know you've got a handle on everything that's going on in the mall. I'm sure with detective skills like yours you'll catch Plague in no time!' She half spat the last words and stormed off in the direction of her room.

'Trudy!' Ellie called after her, but the other Mallrat didn't look back.

'Sorry,' Ruby said meekly as they returned inside. 'I should have been more subtle, she just caught me off guard.'

Ellie shook her head. 'Trudy wouldn't betray us. I didn't know that May had a falling out with Darryl, though,' she frowned. 'She _has_ been leaving the mall a lot. We've both noticed it.'

'Yes,' Ruby said slowly, reluctantly admitting it. 'But she wouldn't sell out the Mallrats over Darryl.' Aside from Ellie, Ruby had formed a friendship of sorts with May, from back when she had visited Liberty, and she clearly didn't want to believe that her friend was involved with Plague.

'She's betrayed us before,' Ellie admitted. 'She spied on us for Mega, we even kicked her out of the tribe for it. It was Salene who convinced us to take her back in. Don't forget it's Amber she's upset with too, and the two of them haven't exactly been the best of friends since she rejoined us.'

Ruby shook her head. 'Come on,' she said. 'Amber and Darryl? It's ridiculous! Trudy was being far too defensive, she's definitely hiding something.'

'That's just Trudy,' Ellie argued. 'Although…'

'What?'

'I still don't buy it,' she stressed. 'But you should probably know, Trudy betrayed us in the past, too. She was the Supreme Mother.'

Ruby looked stunned. She looked towards the door as if expecting Trudy to walk in dressed in her full Chosen regalia. 'That…that I didn't know. _Trudy_ was the Supreme Mother? So Brady…'

'Is Zoot's daughter,' Ellie confirmed.

Ruby shook her head, still trying to process the information. Suddenly she laughed.

'What is it?'

'All of this is getting us nowhere,' Ruby stated. 'All we've decided is that it could be any one of us!'

Ellie frowned and opened her mouth to argue, then realised Ruby was right. She gave a sigh of resignation. 'Which means,' she said. 'That the only person we can trust completely is…' She cut off in mid-sentence, her hand half raised to gesture towards the bed, where she found herself looking into Jack's eyes, his head slightly raised and turned towards her. 'Jack!' she cried, rushing over to his side and holding his hand.

'El…' he croaked, his mouth barely opening. 'E…Ellie.' As soon as the word left his lips his eyelids fluttered and his head fell back onto the pillow, which she immediately adjusted to make him more comfortable.

'That's right, baby,' she said, unable to fight the grin that appeared on her face. 'You rest now. Just keep trying, we'll get there!' She turned to Ruby and laughed. 'Oh Ruby!' she cried. 'He's going to get better! He's going to be alright!'

Ruby stood up to hug her, but before she could do so a deafening clap of thunder sounded above their heads and the rain beat down on the roof even harder than it had been. 'I hope they're alright,' she whispered nervously.

Realisation dawned on Ellie's face. Of course. A storm this big wouldn't just be affecting the City. What if Lex and the others were still at sea? She patted her friend's arm reassuringly.

Ruby laughed mirthlessly. 'I can't help it,' she said. 'I worry about him. About all of them. In a storm like this…I wouldn't even wish that on Ebony.'

'Slade and the others will be alright,' Ellie said, trying to comfort her. 'They've probably reached Lex's island already. They might be with the rest of the Mallrats as we speak!'

'I hope you're right,' Ruby said softly.

_I hope so too_ Ellie thought.

* * *

Salene struggled to stay on her feet as the boat pitched and tossed over another wave. Water lapped around her feet as the remains of yet another crashed onto the deck. Despite the best efforts of Jay, Slade and Sammy to bail it out, it was coming in faster than they could work, and she was afraid that they were going to sink. On the other side of the cabin Ebony was having as much difficulty as she was in staying upright, and her eyes looked out onto the deck where the others were in terror. It was a disconcerting look coming from her, especially with her face already pale from her sea-sickness.

'Are you alright?' Salene shouted over the din of the storm. 'Ebony? Are you alright?'

'Is this it Salene?' the other girl shouted back, her face creased in worry. 'Have we escaped the Virus again only to die out here, in the middle of nowhere? With nobody to even know?'

'We're not going to die Ebony!' Salene yelled. 'Just keep telling yourself that! We're going to see this storm through, and then tomorrow we'll reach land.' It seemed like the right thing to say, and she tried to make herself believe it too. Suddenly another wave hit the boat, tipping it almost to the point of capsizing, and the two girls fell to the deck. Holding each other steady as they got back up, Salene whipped her head around to check the outside deck, and sighed in relief when she saw that all three boys were still there, clinging to the railings as they picked themselves up. One by one they returned to the cabin, soaked through and shivering.

'It's too dangerous out there,' Jay said, shaking his head. His black hair shook drops of water around him. 'We'll just have to do what we can from in here, and hope we don't get too many more waves like that one.'

The door to the control room opened and the trader marched out. 'I told you we should have stayed in that village overnight!' he shouted back inside to Lex. 'But you wouldn't listen, would you? Just keep her steady!' Lex shouted something back that Salene couldn't make out. She thought it was just as well.

'That last one was a devil!' he said, addressing her and Jay. For some reason he seemed to view her as the leader; at least she hoped that was why he talked to her more than some of the others. 'What's the damage?'

'She seems to be holding up for now,' Jay reported. 'But I don't know how much more of this we can take. We're taking on water and that last wave nearly had us.'

'She wasn't built for this kind of weather!' Sammy complained.

The trader rolled his eyes. 'Tell me something I don't know, kid!' he snorted. Taking a swig from his hip flask to give him courage, he moved unsteadily out onto the deck to check the boat.

'I'd better go out with him,' Jay said, touching her arm reassuringly. He made it halfway through the cabin before falling to his knees as another strong wave lashed the tiny vessel. She herself only just managed to keep herself on her feet by leaning into the side of the boat.

'Nooo!' Sammy cried, somehow the only one of them to remain upright. Slade and Ebony paused in trying to get up to look out on the deck to where Sammy was pointing. Salene looked over just in time to see a pair of legs going over the railings. The trader had gone overboard! She ran to the outer deck with Jay and looked over the side. Nothing. Beside her, Jay started taking off his jacket and boots.

'What are you doing?' she asked in surprise.

'We can't just leave him!' he replied, pushing his jacket into her hands. Before she could argue back he climbed the railings and dived into the black water.

'Jay, be careful!' she shouted.

'Is he completely insane?' Slade cried, appearing on deck with her. They scanned the water impatiently.

'There!' Salene pointed, catching sight of Jay swimming out to where the trader's head bobbed above the water a little further out. As he reached the other man a wave covered them and they disappeared below the water. Five seconds. Ten. Twenty. There was no sign of either of them.

Making a frustrated noise, Slade hurriedly took off his own jacket and started to tug off his boots.

'No!' Ebony shouted, her worry for Slade overcoming her reluctance to come out on deck. 'Slade, don't you dare!' She tried to restrain him but he easily held her back.

'Don't worry about me,' he said, kissing her, and vaulted over the railings after the other two with a splash.

'Slade!' Ebony called out in panic, alternately looking out for Slade's reappearance and casting accusing looks at Salene.

'Slade!' Every second felt like a minute.

'SLADE!'

* * *

Creg sat on a stool in the warehouse where he had first met Gel. Getting out of the mall had been tricky, with both Gel and Amber fussing over his injuries and Ellie and Ruby watching him like a hawk when they weren't closeted together, but he had managed it, on the pretence of going back for the rest of his things. He sat there, waiting and staring at the symbol that now adorned the back of his hand. He was a Mallrat. Any other time he would have been proud to have worn that mark, but now it disgusted him by acting as a reminder of who and what he was.

Hearing movement outside he got to his feet, wincing at the pain it brought, just as two women entered through the back door. He frowned. Proxy, in her tattered civilian clothes that always seemed out of place with the determined look on her face, he had expected, but Data was another matter entirely. Still in her Techno uniform, with wisps of golden hair escaping from the buns on either side of her head, she looked around the warehouse wide-eyed, as if she hadn't been outside in a long time. Perhaps she hadn't, it had been months since he had last seen her.

'What does he think he's playing at?' he shouted angrily as the girls approached.

'Quiet!' Proxy snapped back, then added in a whisper. 'Meta's here.'

Creg looked up in shock as a third figure entered the warehouse at a whistle from Proxy. His second reaction was one of anger. _Who's watching Lyss?_ he thought, balling his hands into fists. The figure approached, coming to a halt between the two former Technos. Pulling down the hood of the white cloak that didn't quite hide his own Techno uniform, the mad glint in the eyes of the face that was revealed made Creg flinch before he snapped them back determinedly.

'Plague,' he stated simply.

The figure just laughed in reply.


	32. Troubled Waters

Pulling himself through the water, Jay mentally gave a sigh of relief as his hand brushed against the trader, who was flailing about trying to stay afloat, then gasped in shock as an icy cold wall of water crashed over the pair of them, pulling him under the surface, where he managed to swallow what felt like half the ocean before he was able to clamp his mouth shut again. His senses were thrown into chaos as what had seemed like darkness above deepened to pitch blackness below, and the sounds of the storm gave way to the roar of water all around him, then became the dull near-silence of submersion. As if it were a trigger his mind threw thoughts and actions into that silence and he found himself thrashing about underwater, trying to move in every direction at once in a state of panicked confusion as he was pushed deeper and deeper, yet thwarted by the mocking resistance of the water, making every movement seem as if he were watching it in slow motion. The rational part of his brain told him that all this was futile; it also told him that unless he did something about it very soon he would very rationally watch himself drown. With an effort, and it _was_ an effort, he forced his mind to calm, his body to stillness. A brief, guilty thought for the missing trader flashed through his mind, and then his survival instinct took over. His feet started kicking and he began to move in what he desperately hoped, disoriented as he was, was an upwards direction. As fast as he could propel himself through the water, however, the surface was nowhere to be found. His chest began to tighten and the freezing cold seeping into his bones coupled with physical exertion was making him tired and light-headed. Soon it would be over. Soon he would be dead.

Suddenly, with a splash, he broke the surface and let in a deep intake of air, half breathing, half choking. With water in his eyes and ears, it took a moment for him to realise what had happened and to reorient himself, but when he did he laughed, an unstoppable laugh that bubbled up from deep within, born from shock and relief, and a hundred other emotions that rattled around his mind. Treading water, he dried off his face with his hands as best he could, slicking his hair back over his head to stop the water dripping into his eyes, and blinked. The laughter abruptly stopped as he was brought back to his senses. Where was the trader? Where was the boat? Turning this way and that, the panic started to set in again, and the exhaustion he had felt returned tenfold. This wasn't over yet.

* * *

With both hands gripped tightly to the rail that surrounded the deck, as much to keep herself in control as to steady her while the storm lashed the tiny vessel, Salene scanned the water frantically, her eyes wide with worry, searching for any sign of Slade, Jay or the trader and trying not to think of how long they had each been under. Beside her, Ebony was doing the same, though with less success at remaining steady, her feet shifting with every pitch of the boat. Noticing her watching, the other girl frowned.

'Keep looking!' she urged, braids catching in the wind and falling in front of her face. She tossed them back with a hand in irritation that likely had nothing to do with her hair. 'They have to come up soon! They have to.' That last was said with less confidence, and Salene turned away to avoid the question in Ebony's eyes. That was when she saw him.

'There's one of them!' she pointed excitedly, staggering as a sudden gust caught her coat as she lifted her arm. She clutched the rail again, fixing her gaze on the head and shoulders bobbing above the water some distance away. They had kept drifting after Lex cut the engines, and been buffeted by the winds besides, but even so the figure was further out than she had expected, and a good way off to the right too. With the night and the storm her sense of distance and direction both seemed skewed; the other two could be anywhere!

'Slade?' Ebony cried hoarsely, seeing where Salene pointed. The figure didn't appear to notice, but kept turning in the water more and more desperately, occasionally going under again briefly as a wave crashed over him.

'He can't see us!' Salene replied. And no wonder; he must be even more disoriented than she herself was. Unhooking an orange and white striped lifesaver from the rail, she tossed it out towards the flailing man. It fell well short, but the aim had been to alert the man, not to reach him, and in that respect the action had been a success. He turned and saw the boat, and they saw him. Ebony gave an anguished wail beside her; it was Jay, not Slade.

'Slade!' Ebony shouted into the night, then again, with greater urgency.

'Lex!' Salene called at the same time.

'I see him Sal!' came Lex's reply from the cabin. Within moments the boat's engine spluttered into life once more and they were moving slowly - painfully slowly - backwards towards Jay.

The scuffle of running footsteps from inside the boat announced Sammy, looking both determined and eager. 'I want to help,' he said, stepping out onto the deck. 'Tell me what to do.'

'Just stay inside Sammy,' she said absently, concentrating on the progress of the boat, not taking her eyes from Jay. Just a little further. At the rail Ebony had stopped her calling for Slade, leaning over the edge and focussing intently on the water directly in their path, worried that he might appear in front of them while they were moving.

'But…'

Salene whipped her head around. 'Just do it Sammy!' she snapped irritably, cutting him off. In a softer tone she added 'Everything's under control.' But it was too late. Sammy's lips thinned in anger and he stormed back inside. Raised voices from the cabin suggested that Lex had taken a similar approach, but either way Sammy did not reappear. She was glad; it was too dangerous out here and she would hate for anything to happen to him because she couldn't watch him properly.

Turning back to the water she gave a small start as she realised the boat had stopped again and Jay was swimming the last few lengths to the foot of the boat, where a set of rungs led up to the deck. As if to make up for her silence while they were moving, Ebony took up her calling again with renewed vigour.

'Jay!' Salene cried, with equal parts joy and worry, as his hand gripped the first rung.

'Salene…' he panted, heaving himself out of the water to grab the second rung. It took two attempts. 'I'm sorry…I couldn't…' His face twisted in a pained grimace. 'I lost him,' he finished. For a moment she thought he was going to drop back into the water, but he must only have been preparing to swing for the next rung, bringing his leg up to the bottom one at the same time, teeth gritted with the effort. Just the same, she reached down and grabbed his arm in case he got any ideas. It was a mistake. At the first sign of assistance his tired body instantly relaxed and his foot slipped from the rung. Her own feet were pulled out from underneath her as she was dragged down with him, and she landed on the deck with a bump and a grunt, sliding towards the edge on the wet boards. It was only the heel of her boot catching on the vertical rail support, sending a jolt through her body all the way to her teeth and almost dislocating her arm as it pulled against Jay's weight - she didn't dare let go of him, even then - that slowed them down enough for Jay to grab hold of a rung once more. Shocked into his senses, he quickly recovered his strength long enough to pull himself up to the deck, whereupon she dragged him the rest of the way on board, thinking that perhaps she should have taken Sammy up on his offer after all.

Pulling herself to her feet she went back into the cabin to fetch one of the blankets for Jay, to try and keep him warm; dry was out of the question after all the water that had come onto the boat, though she noted wryly to herself that the rain seemed to be starting to ease off at last. She returned to find he had rolled onto his back, taking long deep breaths of air, twisted slightly to watch Ebony's back with a frown. 'Slade's out there?' he wheezed.

There was no way around it. 'He went in after you,' she admitted, kneeling down beside him. His twisted position only emphasised the dark t-shirt clinging to his chest. Strange, the things you noticed at a time like this. She wrapped the blanket around him to avoid looking.

'Then I've got to…' he started, pushing himself up onto hands and knees, but getting no further before he started coughing.

'You're not going anywhere!' she said angrily, partly at his stupidity and partly to hide her own embarrassment. She was surprised at how easily she pinned him back down, keeping him there with a hand on his chest. He started breathing deeply again and she snatched the hand away, hiding her blushes by brushing wet hair from her face. 'Don't be stupid,' she mumbled.

'Aye aye, captain,' he grinned, saluting her, then his face grew sombre. The trader was still out there, after all. 'Thank you, Salene,' he said seriously after a while.

Not meeting his eyes, she smiled weakly and stood up. Ebony was still calling for Slade but there was no sign of him or the trader anywhere. It had been too long. Closing her eyes and offering up a silent prayer for the two missing men, she made an executive decision.

'Lex,' she called. 'Start the engine again. We can't stay here, it's too dangerous. We need to find land.'

'Sla…NO!' Ebony yelled, turning on her. 'Lex, don't you dare!'

'Ebony, I'm sorry,' she said sadly, holding the other girl's arms. 'They haven't surfaced. We have to accept that it's too late. They're…'

'Don't say it!' Ebony cried, pushing her away roughly. 'He's not dead! He said he'd be ok!'

'Ebony…' she continued. 'Ebony, they're gone. We have to…'

'NO! Jay made it back! Slade will too!'

'Ebony…'

'We have to wait, just a little bit longer!'

'Ebony…'

'I am NOT leaving him to die!'

'EBONY!' Frustrated and grief-stricken, she slapped the shorter girl. She had seen it work before, when the other person for whatever reason couldn't stop to process the situation. This time, though, it backfired spectacularly. For all of two seconds Ebony stood still in wide-eyed shock, then with a snarl she launched herself at Salene, who found herself fighting back hands and feet that scratched and kicked and jabbed at her middle. A toss of the boat brought them crashing to the deck, where they continued to roll around struggling with each other until finally Ebony pinned her down and Salene found two hands closing around her throat. This was it. Ebony was going to kill her!

* * *

'Do it Lex!' Sammy urged, bouncing on his toes beside the captain's seat, which Lex now occupied. Turning in the swivel chair, he gave Sammy a flat stare above steepled fingers. Swivelling wasn't strictly necessary - he could have done the same just as easily by looking over his shoulder - but it felt good, and projected an image of power. Best to show who was boss now and stifle insubordination before it began. He moved his hand to push the lever underneath the arm rest that would ease the seat back; nothing happened, but he covered it expertly by drumming his fingers on the arm as if that were all he had intended to do all along. He didn't know why Sammy was suddenly biting his lip, which kept twitching. He was probably making him nervous, that was it. All to the good.

'I'm the captain now,' he said, addressing the younger Mallrat. 'You heard him put me in charge. Nobody decides where this ship goes apart from me, got that?'

'Nothing to do with you being scared of Ebony then?' Sammy said childishly. Childish, but Lex couldn't help but react.

'I'm Lex,' he replied dangerously. 'I'm not scared of anybody, and nobody says I am.' Leaving Sammy to stew over the threat, he swivelled back to face the controls; rows of dials and gauges, lights, buttons and switches filled the wood-effect dashboard in front of him. Most of them did nothing useful for all he knew, and he didn't think the trader had had any more of a clue either, but he had watched the other man steer the vessel since they had left the city, and taken over himself on occasion, and he knew how to get from one place to another, which was more than any of the others could do. The control was his now; only, Ebony was Ebony. He wasn't scared of her of course, but only a fool ignored her without thinking twice, and he certainly wasn't one of those. No, what he was going to do was sit here patiently pretending he hadn't heard either instruction. The girls would argue it out with each other and whoever came out on top would come through and repeat herself, and he would of course agree wholeheartedly with whichever viewpoint was presented, and tell them how he had just been saying the exact same thing to Sammy, who would keep quiet if he knew what was good for him.

'Come on Lex!' Sammy whined, gesticulating wildly for emphasis. 'Salene's right, it's too dangerous to be out here at night in this storm! We have to try and find land before we take any damage!'

'You don't get it, do you kid?' Lex sneered. 'Look, let me spell it out for you. Me captain. You cabin boy. I make the decisions, you run the errands. You're lucky I'm letting you do _that_, you shouldn't even be here! Now go do something useful, start bailing out or something!'

'I can't.'

'You _can't_?' he repeated acidly.

'No,' Sammy replied through gritted teeth. 'The buckets went over the side, _Captain_, along with three of the _crew_ because _someone_ thought it would be a good idea to sail when it was far too dangerous!'

Lex was silent for a moment. They had all warned against it, Sammy especially, but how was he supposed to have known the weather would get this bad? All he knew was that every hour spent delaying in those tiny villages along the coast for fuel and supplies had been an hour longer before he found Tai San; an hour more in which they could decide to move her someplace else. He hadn't been about to lose another night - or longer! - because of a few clouds. But this storm…

'Well…what do you know about boats anyway?' he spluttered finally.

Sammy opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a thud from the deck outside. They both turned their heads as one.

'Stay here,' he ordered. 'And don't touch anything!' Miraculously, the boy obeyed.

Leaving the control room and passing through the cabin, casting surprised looks at the water sloshing across the floor in rhythm with the rocking of the boat, and the soaked bundles that were their possessions, even those raised on the benches to a lesser degree, from the spray that blew in occasionally from outside, Lex stared in confusion at the scene that confronted him. Above the door, the swinging lantern cast a haphazardly shifting spotlight, illuminating the tiny stern, where chaos now appeared to reign. Jay was shuffling purposefully, crawling really, towards the rail surrounding the deck, while Ebony and Salene were locked in a scuffle in the middle of it, seemingly stuck in a loop of falling, leaning on each other to stand back up and then throwing themselves at each other, resulting in them tumbling down again, the source of the thud. Or rather Ebony was throwing herself at Salene. Salene didn't look as though she was actively trying to kill the other girl but neither was she pulling any punches in defending herself. Pausing a moment he tilted his head, admiring their technique. Most people would have bet on Ebony to win hands down and thought it easy money, in fact there was a time he would have done the same, but Salene could be surprisingly…impressive, at times. He certainly hadn't baulked at letting her come along to look for the others; she could handle herself well enough in a fight. Grinning appreciatively, he noticed Jay heaving himself to his feet against the rail and his smile slipped. Amusing as this all was, it had gone on long enough. It was time to end it.

Marching out, he made an unsteady beeline for Jay, tottering as the boat lurched one way then another, grabbing the ex-Techno by the scruff of the neck and holding him over the railings while he hissed fiercely in his ear to be heard over the wind. 'You're a lucky man, Jay,' he said. 'But I wouldn't test that luck if I were you. I'm not coming back for you a second time.'

'Slade…' Jay groaned, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. 'Got to…Please Lex! Let me go!'

'Oh, and do what? Get yourself killed? Throw our help back in our faces? Nobody likes a martyr, Jay!' Disgusted, he jerked the other man back roughly, throwing him to the deck where he lay feebly trying to summon up the strength to move. Not enough to hurt him though, or at least not much, his presence might still be crucial on the island if there were Technos around. Satisfied that Jay would cause no more trouble, he turned his attention to the women.

A cry of anguished rage signalled that Ebony was on the offensive again. Salene, anxious yet determined and growing more stubborn-jawed by the minute, took up a fighting stance to confront her, but Lex quickly put himself between the pair, instantly receiving murderous looks from both of them. If looks could kill, he certainly would have died on the spot.

'Stay out of this Lex!' he heard from both sides, though at the dark look he gave back Salene at least flushed and changed tack.

'This is insane, Ebony!' she shouted, switching her energies to negotiation now that she had been distracted from the fight. 'I don't want to give up on the others any more than you do, but we can't stay out here forever!' Ebony narrowed her eyes and took a step forward.

'Listen!' he growled in frustration. 'She's right! Look around you; if we stay out here for much longer we're all dead!'

'I should have known you'd take her side!' Ebony spat. 'Trust Mall Rats to stick together! Slade is not dead!'

'He's dead!' Lex yelled back coldly. 'Get over it so we can get out of here!' He had only a moment's notice before she careered into him, then he grunted loudly as his back hit the cabin wall and the wind was knocked out of him. The lantern shook just inches above his head, causing the glitter mixed into the painted flame on her forehead to glint in the jumping light as she gazed up at him with a feverish intensity. Even so, relief flooded through him as he realised he had hit the wall rather than being thrown over the rail, though he suspected that was luck rather than intention on Ebony's part.

'He's. Not. Dead!' Baring her teeth, she punctuated each word with a fist to the stomach, making him double over in pain. 'He's. Not. Dead. He's. Not. Dead. He's. Not…' He grabbed her arms, pinning them together at the wrists, up in front of his chest. It wasn't easy; she struggled, but gradually the struggling slowed and she sagged, burying her face in her arms. To an onlooker it would look like he was comforting her, if in an awkward position; well, he was, in a way, though neither of them would like to admit it. Salene gave Ebony a sympathetic look, or perhaps it was aimed at him, while trying to help Jay to his feet, though keeping a close eye on him to make sure he didn't try to jump in after Slade again; she had seen his earlier attempt and by the look of it was not best pleased. Ebony and Jay soon became lesser worries, however, as the boat's engine suddenly roared back into life, making them all stagger a couple of steps as they adjusted their balances.

Lex gritted his teeth. 'Sammy!' he roared, letting go of Ebony, who stumbled before catching herself on the rail, and marched his way back inside. Briefly looking over his shoulder he saw Salene herding Jay and a distant-looking Ebony in front of her after him.

Splashing his way back through the cabin, he threw open the door to the control room and spun the chair around violently, catching Sammy roughly before he fell out of the thing.

'What do you think you're doing?' he shouted 'Are you trying to get us all killed? Don't mess with things you don't understand, kid!'

Looking frightened at first, in the end the tirade actually had the opposite effect, with Sammy's face becoming just as stubborn as Salene's had been when confronting Ebony. He somehow shook himself free of Lex's grip to emphatically thrust an arm in the direction of the boat's glass front, pointing. 'Look!' he urged, then again, addressing everybody this time. 'Just look!'

Lex deliberately took his time about it - he would look where he wanted to, thank you very much! - glowering at Sammy, but eventually he did look. And saw nothing. The same wall of cloud they had seen since the storm began, even darker than before if that were possible. About to tell Sammy so in no uncertain terms, he was suddenly interrupted by Salene.

'Land!' she cried, almost in awe, before breaking into a grin. 'Lex, it's land!'

He looked again. In patches all around them the cloud was beginning to break up, but that black wall on the horizon looked as solid as ever. It wasn't cloud, he realised then; it was indeed land, looming higher and becoming clearer as the cloud around it parted. In the night and the storm they could easily have missed it or run aground either one, they were already that close.

'Get out of there,' he muttered irritably, shoving Sammy out of the chair and occupying it himself, making the swivel to the controls into something of a flourish so that they all knew he had everything in hand. Shifting their course slightly, he pushed upwards on the large lever, prominent on the dashboard, that was one of the few controls he knew the purpose of, and the small boat increased its speed as they turned towards their target, the landmass ahead of them seeming to move so that it filled the cabin's window. He thought he could make out the beach now, and the shadowy peaks of mountains further inland. The thinning cloud continued to expose more of the island, and it seemed to Lex to be larger than Mega's map had made it out to be. He hoped it was the right place. No, it _had_ to be the right place. It had to be.

'Lex, no!' Sammy cried as Lex's hand left the lever, then gave a shout of pain as his own hand was stopped just inches away from grabbing it. 'Salene, tell him!' he winced.

'I won't tell you again,' Lex stated, not loosening his grip on the boy's wrist until he felt him relax.

'Sammy, we're grateful you saw land but leave Lex to it now, ok?' Salene chided, gently but urgently.

'But Salene!'

'Sammy just cut it out!' Salene snapped. 'This is serious! Lex is the closest thing we've got to a captain now and he needs to concentrate. We're not safe yet, and this is no time to be…'

'SHUT UP!' Sammy bellowed. 'Just shut up! All of you!' his fervent gaze took in not only Lex and Salene, but Jay and Ebony too, both of whom looked affronted at being included, Ebony dangerously so. Taking advantage of their stunned silence, he continued afresh. 'Why can't any of you see that I know what I'm doing?'

'Maybe because you threw up for the whole of the first day,' Ebony cut in, then blushed; her own sea-sickness still hadn't abated. Even bringing up the topic now had made her face pale.

Sammy closed his eyes for a moment, clearly struggling with something. Eventually he said, impatiently, 'It wasn't the sea. It was the boat.' He glared around, daring anybody to make fun of him, before continuing. 'My dad used to take me out with him in his boat all the time, before the Virus. He taught me everything; when it was safe to go out, how to prepare and check the equipment, and as soon as I could see over the dashboard he showed me how to steer. This is it, ok? This is my dad's boat.' His voice broke at the end, and he scrubbed his eyes with the back of his hand angrily.

'Sammy…' Salene began, stepping towards him with a sad look on her face.

'No!' he cried, putting a hand forward to cut her off. 'Just listen! Lex doesn't know what he's doing!' Lex shot an angry glance back at him. 'You don't! Not in this weather! It's not safe to go this fast this close to the shore! There might be…' An ear-wrenching grating noise seemed to fill the whole cabin, like a low-pitched screeching of fingernails on a blackboard, vibrating up through the deck. They all looked at each other in silence. 'Rocks,' Sammy finished worriedly, before trying to wrestle the controls from Lex's grasp.

'Hey! Cut it out!' Lex complained angrily. 'There was no way I could have known! You can't even see anything out there!'

'Lex, just give the controls to Sammy!' Ebony wailed, her fists clutched tightly by her sides. Her own survival winning out against her desire to rescue Slade at this moment in time, she eyed the approaching beach hungrily, just wanting to be on dry land again.

Somehow Lex found himself being harried away from the controls by both Sammy and Salene, and before he knew it he was standing at the back of the cabin next to Jay, a bemused look on his face. He had been bossed around by the trader, then suddenly found himself in control, and just as quickly had lost the upper hand - to Sammy of all people! He shook his head.

'How the mighty fall, eh Lex?' Jay noted wryly, reading his mind.

He whipped his head around in irritation. 'You'd know, Techno boy,' he retorted. Jay frowned at him, then left the room for the main cabin. Lex watched him go, pausing to sit opposite Ebony, who had already gone through, sitting glumly with her back against the wall, but at her glare he moved further down the bench. Turning back, Lex found Sammy instructing Salene on how to look out for hidden rocks, the two of them huddling over the controls with purpose. Gritting his teeth he stepped up to Sammy's other side.

'I want to help,' he said. 'Tell me what to do.'

Sammy looked at him, not looking in the least bit triumphant. That almost made it worse.

'This one,' the younger Mallrat said, resting a finger on one of the levers. 'Like this.' He took hold of it and pushed down, then let go so that Lex could take over, immediately turning his attention back to the water in front of them. Lex gave a sigh of resignation. He may not like the situation, but he wasn't stupid; he knew it had to be that way. Besides, it was only temporary. Once they were safely ashore things would change, but he could put up with this a little longer. For now. He pushed down on the lever.

* * *

Surprisingly, now that Sammy had taken control of the boat, Salene found that a lot of her worry had disappeared. Not all of it, of course; despite the lightening skies now that moonlight was beginning to poke through the gaps in the cloud, the storm was far from over, and they were still surrounded by rocks in a tiny boat that might be ready to burst open at any second after the damage they had just taken, not to mention the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever she thought about Slade or the trader. Still, there was an air of quiet confidence about the youngster that made her feel for the first time on this voyage that she could rely on somebody else to take care of things. The trader had certainly not been as comfortable on the water as Sammy, which had set them all slightly on edge from the start, and even within the group everybody else had been caught up in their own concerns - Lex over Tai San, Jay over Ved and Amber, and Ebony and Slade over themselves, always a little apart from the rest of them - leaving her to slip into the role of chief organiser, she now realised. She had taken care of food and provisions in the villages they had stopped at along the coast, kept spirits up, and taken charge when it became clear that they were going to be caught up in the storm. Hardly surprising then that the trader had looked to her as the leader. Perhaps if she had taken Sammy more seriously from the beginning things would be different, somehow. She thought she had been protecting him, keeping him out of things, but maybe he didn't need it anymore. No wonder he had been getting so frustrated lately! Everyone, herself included, had been shooing him away like an annoying fly when really he should have been the one telling them what to do! She looked across at him and he gave her a reassuring smile. He was certainly competent enough now, not just in working the controls, which he did with an unconscious familiarity, but trying to keep her and Lex busy too, even though it was clear he could manage fine on his own. He was already steering to avoid rocks by the time she saw them, if she did, and she had a suspicion that whatever Lex was doing with that lever on the other side of him was acting as a similar distraction.

'There's one!' she pointed, straight ahead. Sammy murmured gratefully even as he was already rounding it.

'You're getting away from the beach,' Lex said gruffly, though trying to sound placid.

'I don't think I can make it to the beach,' Sammy explained. 'I'm going to try and take her around to the east. It looks like there should be an inlet or something around the other side of that spur.' He pointed to the far end of the beach, where a towering outcrop of rock jutted out into the sea; waves crashed all around the bottom of it, sending white spray flying almost as high as the seagull nests resting further up it. Foam gathered around smaller outcrops too, dozens of them just poking above the water, dotted around the larger.

'Are you crazy?' Lex blurted out. 'The beach is clear! Just land there!'

'There are a lot of rocks out there Sammy,' Salene agreed, eyeing them doubtfully. 'I can see them from here!'

'It's the ones I can't see that I'm worried about,' Sammy muttered quietly, then said more loudly 'It's gonna be tight guys, but just trust me, ok?' He looked at them until they both nodded, then turned the boat towards the rocks. Salene kept a close eye out for hidden rocks, but the spray around the larger ones made it all but impossible. Every so often she heard a soft scraping from underneath the boat as they skirted over something, but for the most part they managed to avoid anything larger. Then, just as Sammy was taking them between two of the larger outcrops, the wind changed direction and the side of the boat scraped loudly against one of the rocks as they were blown towards it. At the noise, Ebony and Jay hurried into the control room, concern painted on their faces.

'What are you trying to do, kill us?' Ebony cried. 'I thought you knew how to sail this thing!'

'Yeah, well I can't stop the wind from blowing,' Sammy retorted. 'You want to take over?' There was no reply. 'Lex, can you check outside for damage?' he asked. 'Be careful!' Lex obeyed, brushing between Ebony and Jay on the way out. 'Salene, I'm not sure I can do this.' Sammy said quietly, for her ears alone.

'Not far to go now,' she replied, just as quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. 'You can do it, Sammy.'

As they rounded the spur, Salene's breath caught at the sight of the rocky coastline continuing on as far as she could see. They had been lucky so far, even with Sammy's knowledge, but she couldn't see how they were going to navigate this whole stretch without being crashed to pieces.

'There!' Sammy pointed excitedly. Salene looked; a short distance away was a break in the rock that looked like it might be the entrance to a cave. It was the only opening anywhere along the coastline as far as she could tell.

'That looks really narrow,' Jay warned.

'I think I can make it,' Sammy replied. 'I just don't know how far it leads, or if it narrows any further. We might get stuck there for the night, but at the least we'll be out of the wind. I don't think we have any other option.'

'I told you we should have landed on the beach,' Lex said from the door. Walking in, he took his place beside Sammy's chair and folded his arms. 'Do it,' he instructed, nodding towards the cave. 'I don't fancy our chances staying out here any longer. We're not taking in any water, but let's just say I don't think we'll be getting our deposit back. Not that it matters now I suppose.' Salene gave him a disgusted look at the reference to the trader but he just shrugged it off.

Nothing much else was said as Sammy navigated them to the entrance of the cave. The rock outcrop loomed over them, glistening wetly in the moonlight. Clumps of mosses and lichens clung to ledges, and the lower parts were encrusted with a thick band of barnacles. As they passed through, the moonlight disappeared and they saw only by the eerie light of the boat lanterns. The sound of the wind died away as they moved into shelter, to be replaced by the dull plonk of water dropping fitfully onto the boat from the roof of the cave. Salene felt claustrophobic, and she soon realised why.

'The passage is narrowing,' Jay noted. 'Are you sure we should keep going?'

'There's still space,' Sammy replied. 'We might be ok.' Salene chewed her lip worriedly. There _was_ still space, but not much. If she went to stand out on the deck she would be able to touch the wall without leaning over the rail.

Suddenly they rounded a bend and the passage widened into a rock-walled pool. Open to the sky above, moonlight filled the cavern, illuminating a rock ledge at the far end. Sammy cut the engine as they came alongside it, drifting the last few metres into place.

'We made it!' he whooped into the stunned silence, which soon burst into cheers and nervous giggles.

'Thank God!' Ebony enthused, holding her head and looking like she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'Now get me off this boat!' Pushing her way through to the cabin, she was already clambering out onto the ledge by the time the others caught her up, almost tripping herself headfirst into the water in her haste to be on dry land. Once on the ledge her legs buckled and she sank to her hands and knees on the ground in relief. Lex followed her, stepping across to the ledge, where he turned in circles looking around at the cavern and up to the sky, a broad smile on his face.

'Tai San,' he said. 'Bray, Ved, Ryan. They're all here, I know it! Tai San…' He pummelled the air with a fist in celebration.

Sammy was next off the boat, and altogether more practical with his first actions on land. 'Pass me that rope,' he called to Salene, who threw it over the side. He grabbed it and tied it fast around a rock at the end of the ledge, which looked like it had been shaped for that purpose. He then returned to the boat and helped Salene support Jay as he wobbled over onto the landing ledge.

'Should we stay here tonight?' Salene asked, suddenly realising that she hadn't planned this far ahead. 'Near the boat?'

'It's sheltered,' Sammy said, thinking it through. 'But there's always the chance that this cavern floods. I think we should take everything that's worth saving from the boat and keep on going. But we don't want to go too far inland while it's dark…maybe somewhere by the beach? It shouldn't take long to get there from here.' He pointed to a rough set of natural stone steps, worn from use, leading up from the ledge to the main outcrop. 'We should be able to get back down to the beach across there.' he explained.

'It would have been quicker to land on the beach itself,' Lex complained, appearing at the side of the boat, but left his protest at that. Nobody wanted to stay here if the cavern might flood, so it was easy enough organising packs of blankets and provisions to pass around between everybody, and soon they were all trudging their way up the steep stone steps, slowly, so as not to slip on the wet rock. They emerged from the top of the cavern, then made their way back down the rocky slope just as carefully, all the way to the bottom. It was a relief when Salene heard the crunch of the shingle beneath her boot at last. Looking back up the slope, she realised that their landing spot was well concealed. The boat should be safe from any casual passersby at least, if there was even anybody else on the island.

They continued a short way along the coastline, stumbling along the shingle, until they had passed the outcrop, where they hit the beach proper. A sprawling forest, bordered by tall palms, walled it off from the rest of the island, and they chose a spot on the edge of it at the top of the beach, in the shelter of the outcrop, to set up their camp for the night. As soon as they had decided on it, Ebony dumped her bundle and left them to it, walking down to the shore to be alone. Salene watched her go, full of sympathy, but decided to let her think things through for herself for a while. Instead, she helped the others set up the camp. Most of their food was still ok, being in sealed containers and packets, but a lot of the blankets and sleeping bags had had to be left behind as they were completely sodden. While Jay changed out of his wet clothes and back into his Techno uniform, Sammy and Lex went searching for dead wood that was dry enough to burn. By the time they returned with a final armful each of pathetic-looking twigs, Salene was sitting proudly by the fire she had managed to create, underneath a makeshift canopy of stakes driven into the sand, with their damp blankets draped over them, simultaneously drying off over the fire and providing shelter. The driest blankets had been reserved for sleeping on, and next to the fire Jay's clothes stood hanging on another set of stakes.

'It looks like there's a path through the forest leading inland,' Lex announced, taking a place on one of the remaining blankets. Sammy took the other, and Jay, finding himself blanket-less, settled himself resignedly into a hollow in the sand, staring off down the beach towards Ebony. Ebony's own blankets still lay in the pile she had dumped them in, but nobody had dared touch those. 'First thing tomorrow we'll take a look,' Lex continued. 'See if we can find any signs of life.' He shot a look at Sammy as if to say that he was in control again now, but Sammy just shrugged sleepily and laid his head down on his blanket, shifting around to try and find a comfortable position.

'That sounds like a good idea to me,' Salene agreed. 'The sooner we find a proper place to stay, the better. But right now, we need to rest. The storm should have completely passed over by morning. We'll discuss everything then.' Lex nodded and lay back with his hands behind his head, looking up at the sky and not seeming at all tired. He seemed to be planning. Sammy's breathing had already slowed. Jay, however, was still staring down the beach with a pained expression.

'I should go to her,' he said quietly.

Lex laughed. 'If you're looking to get yourself killed,' he scoffed. Propping himself back up on his elbows, he fixed Jay with a suddenly serious expression. 'She's lost her man,' he told him. 'It hasn't sunk in yet, or she'd be laying into all of us. Just let her be, unless you want to stir her up. You're the last person she'll want to see, in any case.'

'I didn't know he'd go in after me!' Jay retorted. 'I need to explain!'

'You need to leave her alone!' Lex repeated, then looked over to her himself, to where she knelt in the distance, in the sand, staring out to sea. 'I'll watch her, ok?' he offered. 'Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. I need to think anyway., the rest of you get some sleep. You look terrible.'

'He's right, Jay,' Salene said, more diplomatically. 'Ebony's not ready to talk to anyone yet, but we'll help her through this just as soon as she is. We're all she's got now.'

Jay's face creased as he struggled with the decision but finally he sighed reluctantly and nodded. 'When she's ready,' he agreed, then shivered.

'Jay, you're freezing!' she exclaimed, shuffling over on the blanket. 'Come and lie here by the fire with me. Come on, I don't bite! You need all the warmth you can get after being in the water!'

Sighing again in a put-upon way, he moved across to join her on the blanket. She felt his cheek with the back of her hand; he was cold, but not dangerously so, she thought. Still, better safe than sorry. She moved closer so that they were touching. Catching Lex's eye as she shifted, she saw that he was giving her a considering expression and blushed, then realised what she was doing and stuck out her chin stubbornly. Really, the ideas the man came up with! She could hardly let Jay sleep in the wet sand, could she? She was doing nothing wrong!

Lying on the blanket, she looked up at the stars overhead, poking through the last of the cloud. She had always loved the stars, and they were so much brighter since the Virus, with no lights to obscure them. They made her feel…content. _We're still here_, they called to her. _The world below may have changed, but we're still here_. So she lay there, forgetting tomorrow's worries, just watching the stars and listening to Jay's breathing slowing beside her, until finally her eyes closed and she slept too.


	33. Morning

'_No!' she called out as Slade took off his jacket, stony determination on his face as he looked out to sea. She knew that look, knew exactly what he was thinking, and she didn't like it. 'Slade, don't you dare!' She marched out onto the deck and grabbed his arms as he bent to pull off his boots, nearly bringing him down on top of her, but he quickly righted himself and pushed her away gently. As unsteady as her sea legs were, he handled her as easily as he would have a doll._

_He cupped her chin with one hand, forcing her to look up at him. She did so, but with a sullen glare. 'Don't worry about me,' he said with a frustratingly beautiful smile, then he kissed her. Her anger melted away in surprise, and she gave in to her feelings for him, then just as quickly it was over, and before she could come back to her senses she heard a splash and he was gone._

'_Slade!' she cried weakly, still getting her breath back, and flung herself at the rail, clutching it tightly and using it to support herself as she leaned over the edge. She glowered at Salene next to her, just standing there doing nothing; she should have stopped him!_

'_Slade!' Out there was nothing but the sea, the wind and the rain. Time ticked away in her head, yet still there was nothing; no sign of anybody living. Any second now he would resurface. Any second now._

'_SLADE!'_

'Slade…' she thought she heard herself say, echoing her memory as her mind returned to the present. She was sitting at the shore, her arms hugged around her legs, which were tucked up in front of her chest. Before her the water sparkled pale blue in the first rays of the morning sun, lapping placidly around the sharp rocks that ringed the whole beach like a fence. She shivered, remembering their close calls the night before. Had she really been sitting here all night? How long had it been? She remembered the terror she had felt as if it were moments ago. She could still remember…

'_Don't worry about me,'_

'_SLADE!'_

She flinched. She had been remembering all night.

She clutched her legs more tightly, staring straight ahead of her out to sea, to a fixed point on the horizon, rocking slightly back and forth to give herself something to focus on, anything to stop her mind coming up with those dreadful thoughts. But time and again her thoughts kept wandering back to Slade. Sunrise, she had thought. If she could only keep watch until sunrise, Slade would come back. The sun would come up, and she would see him swimming back to her. He would emerge from the water, framed in the sunlight, and he would scoop her up in his arms, laughing, and kiss her, and…

_He kissed her. Her anger melted away in surprise, and she gave in to her feelings for him, then just as quickly it was over, and before she could come back to her senses she heard a splash and he was gone._

But the sunrise had come, and there was no Slade. And yet…it all made sense. He couldn't make it all this way in the dark, not with all those rocks around. He would have found somewhere to shelter for the night, and now that day was breaking he would set out again and find her. Yes, that was it. She just had to wait a little longer. She would tell the others…

She stopped her rocking abruptly. The others. She had forgotten all about them. Turning her head to look behind her, she saw that they had set up a makeshift camp further up the beach, with blankets clustered around a dying fire. Only one of the blankets was occupied, however, with two people sleeping closely together. Very close, she noted. By a process of elimination she decided it must be Salene and Jay. Another time she might have felt a pang of jealousy at seeing Jay there with somebody else, but now she felt nothing, literally. She sat there watching the two of them lying next to each other and just felt…numb. It should be her and Slade up there, lying by the fire. She blinked, wondering why her vision was blurring.

Suddenly a hand placed itself on her shoulder. Tensing, she was about to react violently when she had a sudden thought.

'Slade?' she breathed, whipping her head around and wiping her eyes.

Lex looked as surprised as she felt, and abashed with it. 'Ebony,' he said, holding his hands up defensively. 'I'm not…I didn't mean…It's me.'

Hope wilted into disappointment, before both were smothered by anger. How dare he make her think he was Slade! She stood up, wincing at the stiffness in her muscles, and shoved him away from her. He stumbled backwards a couple of steps, leaving deeper than normal footprints in the sand, but that was it. Looking behind him, she saw that his footprints led from further along the shore, rather than from the camp. He had been up and about for some time, it seemed.

'What are you doing here?' she spat. 'Come to gloat, have you? We made it to your precious island, are you happy now?'

Lex's face contorted in a struggle of emotions, with stubborn defiance winning out. 'I'm happy I'm alive,' he snapped, eyes darting momentarily to the rocks surrounding the beach. His face suddenly softened. 'Look, Ebony, I'm sorry about Slade - we all are - but we're here now, and the plan hasn't changed. As soon as the camp's down we're heading inland. We're so close now, I can feel it, and I'm not going to give up on the others; I won't give up on Tai San!' He stared ahead towards the forest, unconsciously stroking his ring finger.

'You won't will you?' she sneered. 'Well I'm not about to give up on Slade either! So you go, Lex. Take the others and leave me alone! I'm staying right here!' She jabbed her finger towards the ground for emphasis.

Lex stared at her for a long time, lips thinned, until finally he gave a sigh and, to her great surprise, sat down on the sand, looking out to sea. Dumbstruck, she stood watching him as if he had suddenly grown another head before closing her mouth and slowly lowering herself back down to sit next to him, still casting sideways glances in his direction.

'I'm not waiting forever,' he warned her quietly, not taking his eyes off the water.

Unable to say anything, she simply nodded her head in reluctant gratitude and resumed her vigil.

* * *

Salene woke slowly; in her mind she was back at the mall, in happier times, and she was quite content to stay there. That should have been her first clue, really. She didn't think she had been very happy at all in those happier times, but here and now she was happy, and that was all that mattered. She slept. A breeze fluttered across her face. Indoors? She tried to sense the bed beneath her, but it was hard and uneven; the aches in her neck and back told her that. Something wasn't quite right, but at least Ryan was still there beside her…

Her eyes shot open. Ryan was gone, she knew that, so who…? She sat up, painfully, using her arms to lever herself. Feeling sand under her fingers the reality of her surroundings started to seep back in, and she knew who she would see beside her before her stiff neck allowed her to turn her head. Jay lay stretched out on the blanket sleeping restlessly. There were dark circles under his twitching eyes, and his mouth worked in half-formed mutterings. One hand lay slumped on his middle, while the other lay stretched out to his side, where it had fallen from her shoulder when she had lifted her head from his chest. Looking around the camp she noticed that both Lex and Sammy were gone, though glancing down the beach she saw Lex sitting at the shore with Ebony. It was too much to suppose that the others hadn't seen her and Jay, not that she had anything to feel guilty about, of course. It wasn't as though she had deliberately ended up in that position; she had been asleep and dreaming about Ryan, that was all, and no wonder, with all Lex's talk of finding the others. If it was anyone's fault, it was his! Looking down at Jay, she considered moving, but getting up might wake him and he needed rest right now. Instead, she gently lowered her head back onto his chest. It really was the only thing to do. _And you like it_, a voice in the back of her head said mockingly, but she quickly fought it down.

'Slade!' Jay cried out as soon as her head was down, sitting bolt upright and knocking her away from him. She sighed regretfully. 'Oh,' he said, noticing her and quickly shuffling away, looking abashed. 'I…' His mouth worked, but he left whatever he had been about to say unfinished. Taking in his surroundings he gave a sigh. 'It wasn't just a bad dream then,' he said in disappointment.

'I…guess not,' she replied, pretending to have just woken up herself.

'I suppose it's too much to hope that Slade and the trader made it ashore safely?' he asked.

She shook her head sadly. 'Lex and Ebony are still on the beach,' she said, then realised she was supposed to have been asleep. 'At least, I assume that's where they are,' she covered weakly, gesturing around at the empty camp.

Jay nodded obliviously, peering down the beach. 'You're right,' he said. 'I can see them. No sign of Sammy though…he was amazing last night, wasn't he? In the storm? So calm.'

Salene sat upright at mention of Sammy. 'I think I know where he might be,' she said. 'I'd better go find him.' She stood up unsteadily, brushing sand from her clothes with limited success. 'Will…will you be ok?' she asked as she grabbed her coat from where it had been hanging over the remains of last night's fire.

Jay laughed mirthlessly. 'As long as Ebony doesn't try to kill me,' he replied. 'Not that I'd blame her if she did.' He must have seen the concern on her face because he suddenly smiled. 'Go on,' he said. 'Go find Sammy. I'll be fine.' She nodded and turned away, though the image of his smile lingered in her mind for a few moments.

The journey from the boat to where they had made camp had seemed to take a lifetime the previous night but Salene reached the rocky outcrop that sheltered the concealed harbour in a surprisingly short time; she could even see the camp as she made her way up the scree-littered slope. It hadn't taken much thought to realise that Sammy must have returned to his father's boat, and going to find him seemed as good an excuse as any to put a bit of distance between herself and Jay. It wouldn't do for Lex to start jumping to the wrong conclusions, after all; nothing to do with the confusing feelings she was beginning to have when she was around the ex-Techno. She bit her lip worriedly, but refused to entertain such thoughts. There were far more important matters to worry about right now, such as what they were going to do now they had reached what she could only hope was Lex's island. Topping the ridge, she looked back down towards the beach, thinking it was a miracle that they had all managed to avoid slipping and breaking their necks on the way down in the night, before making her way down the rock steps into the cavern. Since the storm had calmed, the tide had taken some of the water from the inlet, so that part of the boat now rested on a build-up of sand. What she could see of the exposed hull was covered in scratches that must have come from their encounters from the rocks on their way in. It was a sobering sight, and made her think sadly of Slade and the trader. And then of Ebony. How were they going to handle her this morning? They would have to approach her at some point, but it wasn't going to be pretty.

As she reached the rock ledge at the bottom of the steps, noise from the boat startled her out of her thoughts and she slowed, suddenly hesitant. It was a steady methodical clatter; not a sound an animal would make if it had managed to get down here. Somebody was definitely on board, but only now had it occurred to her that it might not be Sammy. Perhaps she shouldn't have come across on her own, not when they knew nothing about who else might be on this island. Shaking her head, she told herself she was just being silly and walked the rest of the way to the boat with confidence, lowering herself down softly onto the deck, which had dropped away from the ledge along with the water level. Who else was going to be snooping around after a storm like last night's? Of course it was Sammy! Still, it was a relief to cross the now-dry cabin into the control room and see the flame-haired youngster kneeling on the deck, rifling through the vessel's glove compartment and tossing the trader's accumulated junk to one side as if searching for something.

'Sammy?'

Her fellow Mallrat leapt to his feet, whirling to face her with terror in his eyes, which he quickly lowered in shame as he recognised her.

'Sorry,' she winced, stepping further into the room. 'I didn't mean to startle you.'

Sammy shook his head. 'It's this place,' he explained. 'I haven't been out of the City since the Virus. It's weird not knowing what might be out there, it feels…I don't know…wrong.' He shrugged and wrinkled his nose as if the word were unsatisfactory, but Salene nodded. She knew what he meant, it felt wrong to her too, like unseen eyes were watching her all the time, laughing at her. The fear of the unknown.

Not that she told Sammy that, of course. No need to spook him even further. Instead, she said 'I guess this is what it must have been like for explorers in history books, coming ashore on a new land, with no maps or travel guides to help them.'

'Like Christopher Columbus?' Sammy asked.

She smiled. 'Only Christopher Columbus didn't have to deal with Lex!'

Sammy laughed, then looked worried. 'Is he mad at me?' he asked. 'For last night?'

'Of course he isn't!' she said, surprised. 'Sammy, if you hadn't taken over when you did none of us would have made it out of that storm alive. And you were right to avoid the beach, there are rocks all the way along it. It's thanks to you we got here in one piece, and Lex knows that, even if he won't admit it.'

'We're not all here though, are we?' he said, lowering his eyes. 'I tried to say something earlier, but the trader wasn't letting anyone near the controls apart from Lex. If I'd tried harder…'

'It's not your fault, Sammy,' she said, giving him a hug. 'We shouldn't have been out there at all. You did well, ok? Your dad would have been proud.'

'Ok,' Sammy nodded into her coat. 'Thanks Salene.'

Straightening, Salene pushed her hair back behind her ear, grimacing at the sand she found there, and watched as Sammy returned to the drawer. He removed the last few items from inside and then gave a deep sigh, though not of relief, more of resignation. Curious, she moved so that she was standing next to him over the glove compartment. There, in the bottom, were the crudely scratched letters of his name. Realisation dawned on her as he reached out gingerly to trace them with his fingers.

'You weren't sure?' she asked.

Sammy shrugged. 'Deep down I think I was,' he said softly. 'But it's different seeing the proof. All the memories just come flooding back. I had to know though, I kept waking up from dreams of him last night.' He looked up at her, almost challengingly. 'I bet you think I'm being silly.'

She put a hand on his shoulder. 'I still dream about my parents sometimes,' she told him. 'Sometimes I wake up and think I'm back in my old bedroom, expecting them to be downstairs making breakfast. And then I remember, I'm not. And they're not. It's hard, and it's sad, and it's unfair, but one thing it isn't is silly.'

Sammy smiled up at her, then reached to the back of the compartment, grabbing hold of the corner of something that had slipped partway out of the back of the drawer, underneath a loose section of panelling. It was a set of photo booth pictures, she realised as it was extricated, of Sammy and his father. In the top one they looked quite serious, but further down they had begun to pull faces and in the bottom picture Sammy's dad was wiping away a laughter tear.

'We were evacuated so fast in the end,' the younger Mallrat said, wiping away a tear of his own. 'I never got to keep any pictures.' He put the strip of photos away carefully in his pocket and took a deep breath. 'Can we leave now?' he asked.

She nodded, and they made their way off the boat, stopping only to collect a few more supplies from the cabin that looked salvageable. Back on the rocky ledge, Salene looked back at the boat and the damage it had sustained in the storm.

'Do you think it'll be alright?' she asked. 'Can it get us back home?'

'It should do,' Sammy replied. 'As long as we stick to calm waters this time. It might be an idea to look around for some tar or something though, just to be on the safe side?' He looked to her as though expecting an answer, or perhaps permission. He may have taken over in the storm, but he was clearly embarrassed to do so now.

'Sounds good to me,' she said, though in truth she didn't have a clue how to go about finding tar. Sammy knew far more about these things than she did. Still, if it was going to make the boat safer she was all for it.

Making their way back to the beach, Salene saw that Jay had been busy while she was gone; the ashes from the fire had been buried to hide the evidence of their camp. There were too many footprints on the beach now to do anything about those, but they could at least pretend to be just passing through. The stakes were all down too, and their belongings folded into bundles in preparation for setting off inland. In fact it was only the Mallrats themselves who weren't ready. Lex and Ebony were still at the end of the beach, staring out to sea in silence, while Jay was kneeling in the sand a little way off from where the camp had been, occupying himself with something fixed into the ground in front of him. As she and Sammy approached him she saw just what that was. Jay had made two crosses out of driftwood and bits of jetsam, fastened together with lengths of strong seaweed and driven into the sand, with a mound of shells piled up around each one to anchor it in place. One of the crosses bore Slade's name written with a stick dipped in ashes from the fire; the other was blank.

Jay looked up as they arrived. 'He was a man of secrets to the end, our trader,' he said sadly, nodding towards the blank cross. 'He never did tell us his name.' He stood up, brushing the sand from his legs, and studied the two crosses. 'I had to do something, Salene. It wouldn't be right otherwise.'

Salene went to stand next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Sammy stuck his hands in his pockets and stared very hard into the forest. So he had seen them this morning. Grinding her teeth in frustration she told herself once again that she was doing nothing wrong. The pain and guilt etched onto Jay's face was more important than what Sammy or Lex thought anyway. He needed her right now.

'It's lovely, Jay,' she said simply, rubbing his back comfortingly. 'I'm sure Ebony…'

She was cut off by a wail from the shore. Sammy jumped, and the three of them looked to where Ebony was rising from the beach. Lex rose too, trying to calm her, but to no avail. She fended him off angrily, eventually giving him a shove that knocked him off his feet in a shower of sand, then turned and stormed up the beach. Straight towards them. Salene tensed further with every step that brought her closer, trying to brace herself for the confrontation that was inevitably to come.

* * *

Jay didn't so much as flinch as Ebony strode purposefully towards the gathered Mallrats, with Lex catching up behind her. Even her furious gaze failed to affect him as it passed over the three of them, lingering on each one in turn. Whatever she was about to say or do, he knew that he deserved it. He took a step forward, placing himself between her and the other two. It was his fault that Slade was dead, and his alone.

Ebony stopped a few paces from where he stood, scowling at them all but seemingly unable to speak. A mixture of emotions crossed her features, and she curled her lip in distaste as her eyes fell on the two crosses. At the arrival of a slightly out of breath Lex, she rounded on him, almost sending him to the ground again as he took an instinctive step back. When her words came, they came in abundance.

'Have a good laugh, did you?' she spat, then turned on the others. 'And you? Watching me? Poor mad Ebony, staring out to sea, waiting for Slade. She's really lost it this time! What were you doing, placing bets on how long it would take for me to come to my senses? Who won? Was it you, Jay?' He did flinch this time, though her eyes settled on him only for a moment before she attacked Lex again.

'It wasn't enough for you though, was it?' she accused. 'You had to come down and taunt me!'

'It wasn't like that!' Lex protested. 'I was trying to be nice!' A little anger entered his tone, doubtless at having to admit to an act of kindness in front of an audience. He was a good man, Lex, if proud. Jay didn't think he could ever feel proud of himself again, not after what had happened.

'Well you'll all be glad to know that I _have_ come to my senses,' Ebony continued, ignoring him. Salene stepped forward with a sympathetic smile and opened her mouth, but Ebony rode over her, raising her voice slightly. 'Yes,' she affirmed. 'Everything is very clear to me now. You planned this.' Salene, still trying to speak up, suddenly stopped, standing with her mouth gaping open in shock.

'What?' Lex spluttered in astonishment. Sammy fidgeted nervously, but Jay just sighed sadly.

'This was always meant to be a 'Mallrats only' rescue mission wasn't it?' she sneered. 'You didn't want Slade or me around in the first place.'

'That's not true!' Salene cried.

Lex folded his arms angrily. 'Last I saw you had the same symbol on your hand as the rest of us,' he said through gritted teeth.

Ebony whipped her head in his direction. 'Doesn't make me a Mallrat though, does it?' she said with a dark look. 'We all try and pretend but I never have been, have I? Oh, I could stand all the looks and the snide comments behind my back - came to expect them, even - you've never accepted me as one of you. And who'd want to be? Not me! Bunch of hypocritical pigs the lot of you!' She swept a look of disgust over all of them, but kept right on talking. 'You think you're so much better than everyone else, so high and mighty, but you're not! You never accepted me, fine; but you never accepted Slade either, because he was with me, and that's what I can't stand! After all that he's done for you!' She glared at Lex. 'He saved your bacon enough times. The Technos would never have been defeated without him. He lost his own brother in the process, and how do you repay him? Alright, so maybe you didn't get rid of him on purpose, but you abandoned him out there, and that's worse! You never gave him a chance. As soon as Jay was out all you wanted to do was leave! And now you stick this…this thing!' She kicked the cross bearing Slade's name, knocking it over and toppling the mound of shells. 'In the ground,' she continued. 'And think everything's ok! Back to normal! You couldn't care less about Slade; he clearly meant nothing to you. Well he meant everything to me, and now he's gone! Because of you lot, the Mallrats.' She invested as much scorn as she could into the name. 'Anything I've ever had in this world you've either taken away or ruined. Everything! Slade's gone, and it's all…your…'

The tirade stopped abruptly as Ebony seemed to hear herself for the first time, to really hear what she was saying. 'He's gone,' she said quietly, eyes wide in shock. 'He's really gone.' Her arms fell limply to her sides and she sagged, looking vacantly through the assembled Mallrats, who stared back, just as stunned.

Jay shook himself. He couldn't let her torture herself any longer. He stepped forward, extending his arm towards her. Her eyes focussed on him and narrowed, and she jumped back as if from a viper.

'Don't touch me!' she snapped. 'Don't you dare touch me! You're the one he jumped in there after. Why are you standing here in front of me? You should be dead! I _wish_ you were dead, Jay! It should be Slade here today. It should be Slade!'

'Ebony don't do this!' Salene pleaded, finally getting a word in. 'We want to help you. We're all upset about Slade, _and_ the trader, but there was nothing we could do for them. You remember what it was like out there! It's a miracle any of us are still alive.'

'You want to help me?' Ebony scoffed.

'It doesn't matter what's happened between us in the past,' Salene explained. 'Nobody should have to go through what you're going through. We care about you.'

Ebony laughed. 'Oh, that's rich!' she said. 'All you care about is having your way with him!' Jay was taken aback when she suddenly pointed at him. He looked at Salene but she wasn't meeting his eye, focussed as she was on Ebony. Her cheeks were red, but he couldn't tell if it was with anger or embarrassment. 'Don't think I haven't noticed,' Ebony continued. 'And don't pretend you care. You just want to make yourself feel better, because you're just as guilty as he is. You're the one who gave up on Slade. If you want to help, then you can leave me alone!'

Salene frowned, but stayed silent. Nobody dared say anything anymore. Nobody but Ebony.

'And YOU!' she went on, this time pointing at Sammy, seemingly intent on working her way through everybody present. Sammy's eyes widened, fixed on her finger as if it were a knife she was thrusting towards him. 'You little coward! All this time you knew about the boat and said nothing! If you'd grown a spine we would never have had to go through all of that!'

'That's enough Ebony!' Salene said firmly, stepping between the other girl and Sammy. 'I know you're upset, but that is way out of line! Without Sammy we'd all be dead.'

'Without Sammy,' Ebony said gravely. 'I'd be wherever Slade is, and free of you lot and your false pity!' She turned to walk away but Lex blocked her path like a statue, his arms folded.

'And me?' he asked sneeringly. 'Are you going to take a shot at me too?'

Ebony made a scornful noise. 'I wouldn't know where to begin,' she replied, skirting around him and away down the beach.

There was silence for a short while among the Mallrats before Salene finally clicked her teeth in exasperation. 'Ebony wait!' she called out. 'Where are you going?'

Ebony stopped and turned, a look of contempt on her face. 'Haven't you got it yet?' she asked acerbically. 'I'm leaving! You should be pleased, I'm giving you Mallrats what you've always wanted - rid of me! So take a good look because it'll be your last. I certainly don't want to see _you_ again.'

'Ebony don't be stupid!' Salene cried, but Ebony had already started walking again, refusing to look back. 'It could be dangerous out there! We need to stick together! Ebony!'

There was no reply. As far as Ebony was concerned, the Mallrats had ceased to exist.

'Ebony!'

Salene strode forward after her but Lex grabbed her arm. 'Let her go, Sal,' he sighed.

'But…' Salene gestured towards the other woman, then let her hand fall with a sigh.

Lex looked towards Ebony, his eyes narrowing. 'We tried to help her, and she threw it back in our faces,' he growled. 'She wants to go it alone, so let her. Do you really think you can convince her otherwise? I'm not going to waste my time on her anymore; we came here for a reason, remember? I'm going to get our stuff together, then we're leaving. Come on, Sammy!'

At the order, Sammy immediately jumped to follow Lex back to where the camp had been, eager to be away, but Salene remained where she was with Jay, watching Ebony sadly until she was out of sight.

'You could have said something, Jay!' she said sulkily, rounding on him.

He shrugged in reply. 'Would you want to be reminded of Slade all the time?' he asked. 'That's what she'd see when she looked at us.' _When she looked at me_, he corrected mentally. 'I'm not saying I'm glad to see the back of her, but I understand why she wants to go. Maybe she's better off on her own.'

Salene looked at him sadly, shaking her head, then looked down at the two crosses. Her jaw set stubbornly and she bent down to reposition the cross Ebony had kicked over, scooping the shells back around the bottom with her hands.

'Lex! Sammy! Get back over here!' she yelled.

Lex stood up from where he had been tying a cord around one of their bundles. 'What is it now?' he sighed.

'What it is,' Salene replied acidly. 'Is that we lost two people last night, two friends, and we WILL take some time to remember them, and to say goodbye. Or do you want to prove Ebony right?'

Lex and Sammy looked at each other, then dropped the bundles they were holding and made their way back to the memorials. Salene nodded in satisfaction.

* * *

Ebony tried not to think as her legs carried her away, walking in the opposite direction to the various sets of footprints in the sand. All of her thoughts since getting off the boat had brought a mixture of sadness and anger, an exhausting combination, particularly after a night without sleep. All she wanted right now was some peace. Being around the Mallrats was unbearable; every time she looked at one of them she saw visions of frightened faces in the night, mirrors of what she herself had felt, and the panic started to rise in her again. Even thinking about them now those spectres filled her mind, her imagination making them all the more terrible, taking her back to the night before. She felt the oppressive weight of dark storm clouds forming all around her, and was suddenly afraid that if she turned around or closed her eyes, she'd find herself in the middle of the ocean, alone, with nothing to cling to.

Forcing herself, she looked over her shoulder, and saw only the beach stretching behind her, her single set of footprints vanishing out of sight. She shook her head to clear away the images and the feeling of dread, and carried on. The beach started thinning out, becoming the rocky beginnings of the cliffs ahead of her, crossing over the cave leading to the harbour where they had moored the boat during the night. It would be a harder path than the one they had taken down to the beach from the other side of the spur, but she would remain in sight of the sea here. In sight of anything that might approach the island…or wash up on it. Her legs quivered slightly as the land began to rise in a slope towards the towering spur, still not acclimatised to being back on solid ground, and she began to stumble over the rocks that increasingly sprang up along her path. This happened with greater frequency, until a misjudged step almost dropped her off the edge and into the jagged jaws of the foam below, and she was forced to sit down and re-evaluate her journey.

Perching herself on a rock, she rubbed her eyes with her palms and was surprised when they came away wet. No wonder she was falling all over the place, trying to see through that! She blinked away the worst of it; this was no time for shedding tears. She had to keep going. Her stomach rumbled and she regretted not bringing any food or supplies with her. Was it too late to go back and claim her share from the others? Of course it was; she had left them behind now, and not before time. She had meant what she said down there on the beach; disaster seemed to strike her every time she had anything to do with the Mallrats. Now she was free to make a new start, to build a new life for herself without their interference. She stood up, confidence returning, looking up at the great rock in front of her. It was there - her new life. Just on the other side of that cliff.

Nodding to herself, she set off once again, her eyes fixed firmly on the rocky road ahead; her new beginning.

* * *

Salene stood alone by the two crosses, frowning thoughtfully. The memorial had been short, and Lex had left to finish seeing to the preparations for leaving the beach as soon as it was over, followed by Sammy and then Jay. She found it difficult to walk away, however, and kept thinking over what had been said. Or rather what hadn't been said; none of them knew very much about the trader - not even his name! - and although Lex and Jay knew a little about Slade, both were reluctant to say much. That was clearly due to male pride in Lex's case, but she was worried about Jay. He had been quiet since the confrontation with Ebony, and she suspected that he was still feeling guilty about Slade jumping in after him, and not being able to rescue the trader. What really worried her, however, was how little she herself had been able to contribute. Slade had been a Mallrat just like the rest of them, and she had shared the journey here with him, often confined in close quarters, but she had hardly known him. Could there be a grain of truth in what Ebony had said?

She thought about this as she made her way back to the others. Perhaps she hadn't welcomed Slade in the same way as she had Ruby or Darryl, for instance, but then part of her had always expected Slade and Ebony to go their own way once things were back to normal in the city. Now that they both had, in tragic circumstances, she regretted not seeing them as part of the tribe. After all they and Ebony had been through together, it would be hard getting used to the idea that they might never see her again.

All this made her certain of one thing. Arriving back at the site of the camp, now just a bustle of footprints and neat bundles, the last of which Lex was securing onto his back, she took a deep breath as the three boys all looked up at her. 'I just wanted to say,' she announced. 'I'm really glad the three of you are here.' Sammy smiled at that, pleased to be included with the older Mallrats, which saddened her. She could remember a time when every Mallrat had an equal say, regardless of age. How much of a family were they anymore? 'We had an awful night,' she continued, ignoring the thought for the moment. 'And now with Ebony…I don't want to lose anybody else. Let's look for our friends, but let's do it carefully, ok? We tried to get here quickly, and look what happened. We need to take things slowly from here. We need to be prepared.'

'Agreed,' Jay said, and Sammy nodded emphatically.

'Lex?'

Lex stared into the forest for a while before answering. 'Fair enough,' he conceded. 'But we can't waste any more time either. We make a start now, and travel as far as we can until nightfall. Then we'll find a safe place to camp. Ok?'

'Ok,' Salene agreed. That sounded fair.

'Then let's get a move on,' Lex said gruffly. True to his word, he started off immediately, leading the way as they left the beach and entered the forest.

* * *

Rain sighed with boredom as she lowered the binoculars and started to settle them carefully on her chest before she remembered there was no need to worry about damaging the multitude of shell necklaces she usually wore around her neck. Shells were noisy, a distinct disadvantage when you were a scout, and she was one of the best, so the only cord she wore around her neck today was the one holding the binoculars.

In truth, she wasn't just one of the best; she was the best in her tribe, or at least she had been. Since her appointment to the governing council, however, just over a month ago, she had done very little in the way of scouting, and it was surprising how quickly you could fall back into bad habits. But the Coyotes trusted her, and everyone had been spooked by the rumours of a boat spotted out at sea during the night. They wanted the best, and that was her.

And Ash of course. He was waiting for her when she climbed down from her vantage point on the cliff, her sturdy boots providing a sure footing, and desert camouflage combats blending in with the sandy rock around her. A couple of years older than she, he was lean but muscular, with coppery skin and jet black hair. He had almost as many red chevrons running up the right-hand side of his face as she had yellow, and an additional vertical line running down the middle of them, signifying his skill at hunting, something she had never taken more than a passing interest in. That would have made them more or less equals had it not been for her position on the council, but there was never any question of leadership here; scouts always worked as a team, and besides, Ash was her friend. He stood there patiently, occasionally glancing around instinctively, studying the land around him, bare arms folded across his chest in a brown shirt with rolled up sleeves over a black vest, and olive cargo trousers tucked into black military-style boots. All the Coyotes wore plain colours; she herself wore a simple cream-coloured blouse and sleeveless fleece jacket. She still found it difficult to imagine herself wearing the more colourful styles sported by the mainland tribes. The only embellishments she wore were a few hawk feathers in her wavy blonde hair, and the necklaces she had left behind this morning. Ash had done the same, though he still wore one thick spiked bracelet.

'Nothing, again,' she said impatiently. 'The kids must have got it wrong.' It had been some of the younger tribe members who had first brought the news of a boat sighting, and most thought they had made it up, or at least been mistaken - who would take to the water in a storm like last night's? But everyone knew to be cautious since the invasion, and enough people had been concerned to merit further investigation. She should have been glad to escape her duties and get out and about again, but she hated wild goose chases, and this looked like it might just be one. The further west they came, the fewer safe landing spots there were, and the less likely it was that any boat could have made it ashore.

'Probably,' Ash agreed. 'But we'd better keep looking anyway. You know what…some people are like.'

She smirked. What the council are like, he was about to say, but he was right. If they thought the two of them had been slacking there would be words, no matter that she was one of them now.

'Head down to the beach?' he suggested. She nodded in agreement; the cove down below was the one place along this stretch of coastline she hadn't been able to see from her position on the cliff top, the view obscured by the forest canopy, though only small fishing boats could make it in or out of the narrow inlet leading to the bay. If there had been a boat last night, and it had found its way to the cove, it was no invasion force. She and Ash made their way down the cliff path, rock giving way to sand as they reached the secluded beach. There would be good fishing here today, after last night's storm, though the Coyotes had plenty of fishing spots of their own further south.

As she suspected, there was no boat on the shore. About to turn back - surely there was no point continuing any further, any boat that tried to land up the coast would have been smashed to pieces - she was suddenly distracted by a birdcall from the forest, and as her eyes drifted over the beach again they froze. There _was_ something there, or rather someone! Sprawled out on the sand at the other end of the cove. Gasping, she started forward, but another birdcall answered the first and Ash placed a restraining fingerless-gloved hand on her shoulder. She spun around, confused.

'You're seriously rusty if you're ignoring your birds now,' he said quietly. 'I doubt there's many nightjars flying around at this time of day.'

Her eyes widened in comprehension, and she felt a stab of annoyance at herself for not paying attention. She would lose a chevron for this. She let Ash lead her out of sight behind a rock just as the 'nightjars' emerged from the forest. Two Islanders, unmistakeable in their dark grey and silver tunics and boots, and their white-painted faces highlighted with blue tribal markings. One of the Islanders was female, her dark hair in a bun fixed with elaborate pins. Carrying harpoons and nets, they appeared to be part of a foraging party. Their birdcalls had clearly been to communicate to each other that the coast was clear.

'I was one of them, remember?' Ash whispered behind her. 'I know their tricks.'

She gave him a look of gratitude, before focussing on the Islanders again. There was no excuse for her not catching the fake birdcalls, but he was telling her that he wouldn't make her alter her tribal markings over it. She couldn't understand those who thought Ash was immature; to her, he often showed a maturity beyond his years.

The Islanders had caught sight of the figure on the beach now, and were approaching cautiously, dropping their nets but hefting their harpoons in case of a trap. After prodding a little with the butts of their weapons, the girl dropped hers and dragged the man - she could see that it was a man, now - further up the beach, checking for signs of life. She must have found some as she said something to her partner that Rain couldn't make out, before attempting mouth to mouth. After a while the boy on the ground spluttered, causing the male Islander to point his harpoon at him, but the girl snapped at him and he helped her lift the castaway to his feet. Then two more nightjars called from the forest and the two Islanders looked at each other and stiffened. Rain looked at Ash, who nodded gravely. More Islanders had arrived, and the two on the beach weren't expecting them. That could only mean one thing.

As she expected, two more Islanders stepped out onto the beach, only their tunics were blue, and their faces unpainted. She supposed they weren't Islanders anymore either, just as Ash wasn't. Both the new arrivals were male, one dark-skinned and the other pale, and they both carried fishing gear like the other two. They must have had the same idea about the cove. The two pairs of Islanders stared at each other for a short while, before the young woman took a hesitant step forward, holding out a hand as if to old friends. The two newcomers, however, clutched their harpoons more tightly, and the girl spoke quickly to her partner before they let the castaway drop to the ground and ran away, leaving their nets behind. The two remaining Islanders watched them go before turning their attention to the castaway. After doing their own share of prodding, they tied his hands and feet with the discarded nets and dragged him back into the forest with them. Only then did Rain let out the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

'So there was a boat after all,' she mused.

Ash nodded. 'Poor guy,' he said. 'Surviving a shipwreck only to run into that lot. I wonder if there were others with him.'

'If there were,' she replied. 'Then they'll probably be with the boat, up the coast, but we can't afford to head up there now and look for survivors, not when the other tribes are in the area; I doubt the ones we saw came alone. Besides, the others need to hear about this.'

Ash chuckled and she frowned at him. 'What's so funny?'

'I was just thinking of the day you joined the council,' he smiled. 'How they dragged you kicking and screaming to the chamber, shouting about how you'd make a lousy leader. You'll have everyone whipped into shape in no time, Rain!'

She stuck her tongue out at him, but secretly relished the compliment. Not that she enjoyed being on the council of course. Not at all.

'Anyway,' she said, changing the subject. 'Whoever they are, if anyone else did make it off that boat alive, they'd better be ready for trouble. After what just happened here it won't be long before both the Queen and the Guardian know there are strangers on the island.'

Ash looked at her and nodded gravely, before the two of them emerged from behind the rock and headed back up the cliff path, discussing what they would tell the council, and what today's events might mean for them all.


	34. The Pursuit Of Freedom

_**Author's Note: For Kiara. Happy First Birthday.**_

From her vantage point sitting on the cliff top, Ebony smiled. Below her, a path led down to a road - a proper, tarmac road - which snaked its way downhill, its destination obscured by the crags that made up what she thought must be the southern tip of the island. On top of one of those outcrops, just before the land fell away to the sea, was a tall structure, a wooden frame supporting a large wheel with spokes radiating from its edge. Some of the spokes appeared to have some sort of material hanging limply down from them. Northwards, the road ran back inland, growing wider as the terrain became easier, but it was the mysterious structure - built since the Virus judging by its crude design - that held her attention and decided which direction she would take.

But it wasn't the road or the structure, or even the evidence for habitation to the south that they appeared to give, that made her smile. No, hers was a different kind of smile, one that told anyone who had any sense that she was in control, and that she knew it. It was a smile that had unsettled many of her enemies over the years, one that had them nervously wondering what she was planning for them or, worse still, what she had already planned, watching them with amusement as they walked unawares into her trap.

She was being watched. She had realised some time ago; after hours traipsing around the island on her own, the presence of another person stuck out like a sore thumb. She almost welcomed it, actually. After so long alone with her own thoughts, and dark thoughts at that - of Slade and the storm, and the Mallrats laughing as they ate her share of the rations - it was a little like travelling with a companion, and one that wouldn't slow her down or annoy her with small talk to boot, though admittedly on the flip side there was the possibility of being killed or captured. Either way, at least it gave her something else to focus her mind on, and one other thing was clear; whoever he or she was, they weren't doing a very good job. That was why she smiled. She was being followed, but she knew it, and that meant that she had the upper hand. Standing, she had to stop herself from shaking her head as the bushes behind her rustled loudly. She was no Gaian herself, but this was ridiculous! Fighting back dizziness - she still had had nothing to eat or drink since breakfast at some pokey fishing village the previous day - she began to make her way down to the road below. What awaited her at the end of it, below that strange contraption, she didn't know. All she knew was that she had to keep going, and to stay one step ahead of her unseen stalker, all the while trying to fight the hunger and exhaustion that kept creeping up on her. If that wasn't enough to stop her thinking about Slade, nothing would be.

* * *

Swallowing her last piece of bread, Salene rested her head in her hands to think, her elbows propped on the picnic table the four Mallrats were sitting at, alongside a bark chip path that marked a tourist trail through the forest. Although they had made a good distance since setting off this morning, they still had no idea where they were going, and had come across no sign of the Techno prison camps Lex assured them would be here. She didn't dare voice the inevitable thought that this may be the wrong island, or that Mega had lied for his freedom, but from the group's silence over their meal she knew she wasn't the only one to be thinking such things. To top everything off, when they had stopped here they discovered that their provisions had not been as watertight as they had thought. Although they had managed to supplement what they had on the journey today with some wild mushrooms she had recognised as being edible and a couple of bunches of bananas from a plantation they had passed through, they still had only enough food and water for a few days at the rate they were going. That might be plenty, but with no way of knowing she couldn't help but worry about it.

Lex stood up. 'We've wasted enough time here,' he said irritably, clearly sensing the mood and the air of doubt. 'Let's get going.' Jay, who had been in a quiet mood since they had left the beach, simply stood up and pulled on his pack, while Sammy made a point of licking the crumbs off his fingers before slowly following. Lex looked at her and she opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came out. They may be wandering around aimlessly, but what other choice did they have? Without a map or someone to ask, they would just have to keep going.

'This path must lead somewhere,' she said instead, with a forced smile.

A couple of unseen birds chirruped to each other as the group gathered their things and left the picnic area, following the bark path, which wound itself through the forest giving no clue as to how far off its final destination was. She was glad to hear signs of life again. The forest had grown silent during their meal, as if it had sensed the group's dark thoughts, but now at least the birds had returned, singing as they followed the Mallrats along the path. That, along with the dappled light making patterns on the ground and the smell of the bark, still damp from all the rain during the night, meant that Salene soon found herself smiling again. It was quite a pleasant walk really, if she ignored the fact that they were lost, tired and dirty. Jay couldn't, if his slumped shoulders and dour expression were anything to go by. As understandable as that was, given the events of the previous night, she still felt so much pity for him. There was nothing he could have done to save Slade and the trader, but the guilt was still there, and Ebony's stinging words hadn't helped matters. Catching up to him, Salene lightly placed a hand on his arm to pull him back out of earshot of the other two, who were walking further ahead.

'What is it?' he asked, a look of concern on his face. 'Is everything ok?'

'That's what I was about to ask you,' she replied. 'Jay, you've hardly spoken all day, and you didn't eat much at the picnic site. I'm worried about you. Since Slade…'

'I'm fine,' Jay interrupted tersely, and picked up his pace until he had overtaken Sammy and was walking alongside Lex, who looked at him and then back at her, but said nothing. Glancing around into the forest, she decided to pick up her own pace too. It might be pretty, but it still wasn't the kind of place to be separated from the group.

As if on cue, birdcalls suddenly sounded from every direction and two figures hopped out of the forest ahead of Lex and Jay - two young women dressed in grey, their faces painted white and blue and their hair held up in identical buns with long pins. They carried long fighting sticks and had determined expressions on their faces. Another two jumped out right in front of her and grabbed both her and Sammy. She tried to struggle free but to no avail. She was held too securely. Suddenly the increasing number of birds she had heard on their journey took on new meaning.

'There's more of them in the forest, Lex,' she warned softly. 'I think they've been tracking us since we left the picnic site, maybe longer.'

Lex turned his head to address her. 'Don't you think I knew that?' he said in an overly confident tone that told her he knew no such thing. She could have slapped him! 'I was wondering when you lot would show yourselves,' he continued, turning back to the two women in front of him. His posture switched to an arrogant swagger as he approached them, getting dangerously close. Her heart sank as she imagined the smile that must be on his face, the one he always thought was so charming.

'So…ladies,' he said flirtatiously. 'Exactly how can I be of service to you?'

The two strangers shared a quick disgusted glance before one swung the end of her stick into Lex's head, while the other used hers to sweep his legs out from under him. Their silence throughout only made them seem all the more threatening. An instant was all it took, and Lex lay sprawled on the bark path, unconscious. Jay, meanwhile, forcibly pulled out of his introspection, was now taking hesitant steps forward, his hands raised in an appeal for calm. Strangely it was now the attackers' turn to look worried - afraid, even - and both took an unconscious step backwards before tightening their grips on their weapons as if to anchor themselves in place. Salene felt a flutter of hope; if these women recognised Jay's Techno uniform, then perhaps Lex was on to something after all. Maybe their missing friends really were on this island. If only Jay could get the women on their side, this could be their best chance to find the rest of the Mallrats.

'We don't mean you any harm,' he told them, lowering his hands slowly. 'Please, we're just looking for some friends of ours. We think they might be being held prisoner here.'

One of the girls blinked in confusion and looked to her fellow tribe member, who shrugged. The first girl paused for a moment before nodding decisively. The other grinned and nodded back, lowering her stick, but instead of dropping it she grabbed it all the more tightly and rammed the end of it into Jay's middle. Salene gasped in shock and was restrained as she tried to take a step towards him. Winded, Jay dropped to his knees, whereupon the girl who had apparently given the order clubbed him over the head and he collapsed to the ground alongside Lex.

'Sammy, no!' Salene cried as the youngster managed to wriggle free of his captor's grasp and fled back the way they had come. He didn't get far, however, before more of the unfriendly tribe - four of them - appeared from the forest to block his path. They were a mixed bunch in terms of age, size and sex, but they all wore the same grey uniform and tribal markings, and the girls had those long pins in their hair. The largest boy grabbed Sammy and hoisted him over his shoulder before leading the others to where Salene and the four girls stood.

'Let me go!' Sammy yelled, pummelling his captor's back uselessly with his fists. The boy just laughed. 'Let me…' he cut off with a shout as he was dropped unceremoniously to the ground. Scrambling to his feet, he clenched his fists but wisely stayed quiet.

'It's alright Sammy,' Salene said. 'Everything's going to be alright.' She hoped it would be, anyway.

'You should have listened to your friend Sammy,' the girl who had knocked out Jay announced, the first time any of their ambushers had spoken. 'I wouldn't advise either of you to try anything like that again,' she added, with a twirl of her stick for emphasis. She paused to make sure they both understood before motioning for Salene's captor to let her go. Startled, she hurried over to Sammy and pulled him close. He didn't complain.

'What do you want from us?' she demanded of the girl who had spoken. She seemed to be in charge here.

'Me?' the girl laughed. 'Nothing at all. But our Queen is very interested in you, stranger. Very interested indeed.' Salene shivered. That didn't sound good. 'Bring them to the holding area,' the girl ordered. 'Then we'll report back to the palace.' There was a burst of activity at the command, with some of the tribe gathering up Lex and Jay, and others ushering Salene and Sammy forward. As they progressed along the path they were joined by more tribe members, eventually bringing their escort up to a dozen. Salene grabbed Sammy's hand. There was no escape, even had she been willing to leave Lex and Jay behind. All she could do was use this time to think, and to wonder why on earth the leader of this tribe thought them so important.

* * *

Crouching low in the long grass by the roadside - _she_ knew how to hide, unlike her stalker, who still trailed her - Ebony studied the open gate on the other side of the stretch of tarmac. Like the structure she had seen earlier, still just visible poking up behind the cliffs beyond the gate, it had been made recently, after the Virus. Made from sections of tree trunks lashed together, it spanned the road where it curved downhill to pass between two cliffs, making it the only entrance to whatever lay beyond. Some sort of village, clearly. Defendable, but not expecting attack - she didn't think those gates had even been closed, and the two small children standing guard didn't strike her as particularly menacing gatekeepers. She thought the pair of them, a boy and a girl, couldn't be any older than five or six, though admittedly she knew very little about children. She had been horrified at the thought of sharing Slade with one, though fortunately that had been a false alarm on Ruby's part. Not that any of that mattered anymore of course, she realised sadly.

A rustle and the snap of twigs behind her served as a welcome distraction. Perhaps it was time to play her trump card and give her stalker a taste of his own medicine. If this person had followed her all the way to the gate without being scared off by the presence of others or leaving her as somebody else's problem, then it stood to reason that he was associated with the village, and the open gate and baby-faced guards told her that they certainly weren't a threat to her. In fact, if everyone in the village was as incompetent as her stalker then she was probably more of a threat to them! Confident of her advantage, she stepped out onto the road.

Immediately the two children at the gate sprang to attention and one of them, the boy, ran inside, shouting. She didn't pay them any more attention, however, instead marching straight over the where the rustling had come from. The clump of bushes shook in panic, the guy desperately trying to find a way out of her path without blowing his cover, until finally he conceded there was no escape and stood up. She had been only a couple of metres away from trampling over him. Now that they were face to face, she could finally get a look at the man who had been following her. He was only of average height, but quite broad, not that that intimidated her at all, of course. What surprised her, however, was that apart from one yellow chevron on his right cheek, his clothes of blue, black and grey, and his white-painted forehead clearly identified him as a Gull, one of the city tribes. What was he doing all the way out here?

'A little friendly advice,' she said, addressing her stalker. 'If you're going to follow someone, do it quietly.' She folded her arms and tilted her head back slightly so that she could look down her nose at him, despite his extra height. The look on his face should have been priceless, but instead he only looked mildly uncomfortable. She soon realised why.

'Thanks,' a female voice called out triumphantly from the other side of the road. 'We'll make sure he works on that next time.'

Ebony whipped her head around, wide-eyed, to gape at the second tracker. She had been infinitely more successful than the first - more so than her tall, gangly frame suggested she was capable of - but the surprises didn't stop there.

'Next time?' a gruff male voice answered derisively from behind her, causing her to jump and spin around defensively. _Behind_ her! She must have walked right past him on her way to confront the Gull, and hadn't noticed a thing! She cringed inside; not only had she lost the upper hand, she was also acting like a spooked child. Not that anybody seemed to have noticed. For all they had tailed her for most of her journey here, and now surrounded her like three points of an uneven triangle, they were no longer paying her any attention, instead glaring at each other. Or rather the Gull and the other male - even more heavily built, and taller with it, with a shaved head - glared at each other, while the girl frowned at them both, her brunette ponytail swaying as she shook her head.

'There won't be a next time,' the young man continued. 'Not after this shambles of a performance! And he can wipe that off too!' He gestured towards the Gull's face with a disgusted sneer. 'He doesn't deserve it.'

'Flint…'

'No, Jade!' the shaven-headed youth argued, interrupting the girl. 'You can stick up for this lot all you like on your own time, but I'm not having any of them on my team again - especially him! - it's too dangerous.'

Ebony smiled inwardly. These two might be good at keeping themselves hidden in bushes and rocks, but they had already told her more about themselves and what she was walking into than the Gull ever had. Whoever they were, their plain garb - Flint in a grey t-shirt and beige combat trousers, Jade in a brown high-collared jacket over a pale cream vest top and wearing dark green combats - clearly marked them as being from the same tribe, as much as it differed from what the Gull was wearing, or indeed what anyone back in the City would have worn, herself included. Their tribal markings, too, were the same - a column of chevrons running up their right cheeks, Flint's in light blue, Jade's in green, just like the single chevron on the Gull's. From what Flint had said, those markings must indicate some sort of hierarchy, with more chevrons signifying a person of greater importance. Interestingly, although Flint was the leader of this group, Jade had an equal number of markings. Ebony suspected that the tall girl got her way more often than Flint liked. She had been the first of the two to announce themselves to her, after all. Hardly her place, if Flint was supposed to be in charge. This was something Ebony could take advantage of if it came to it. And who were these others Flint wanted nothing to do with? More Gulls? That was something else he and Jade appeared to disagree over.

'Knowing he was following her took her off guard,' Jade was saying now. 'She didn't even suspect the two of us were here as well. That has to count for something.'

'Are you kidding?' Flint asked incredulously. 'You're actually saying his uselessness is a good thing? Would that work if we'd come across a group of Islanders? Or…'

'What's going on here?' an authoritative voice commanded, causing everyone to look towards the village gates, where a small procession of about half a dozen people was coming out. Apart from one tall boy of about sixteen, dressed in animal furs and skins and with a brown triangle above his nose, from their dress they were all clearly part of the same tribe as Flint and Jade. She saw as many different marking styles as she did faces, but always in that same repetitive pattern, and judging by the numbers on show these were all important people. All except for the woman at the head of the procession, that is. With one black vertical line running halfway up her right cheek and a single red cross on her left temple, hers was the least decorated face there, but she was clearly the leader. Tall and slim, and slightly older than Ebony herself, she wore a white sleeveless ruffle top nearly obscured by layer upon layer of shell necklaces, and a high-waisted grey skirt that clung to her figure. Not a single strand of her blonde hair, taken up and held precisely in place at the back of her head, and threaded with white flowers, was out of place. In short, she oozed beauty and power. In the few moments it took for her and her entourage to join the four standing in the road, her high heels sounding noisily on the tarmac, Ebony decided that she hated the woman.

Feelings seemed mixed among the trackers, too. Jade seemed to gain confidence, while flint appeared to grow wary. Perhaps he felt he had something to prove. Only the Gull seemed unfazed by the appearance of the newcomers, and that told her nothing.

'Well?' the woman demanded. 'Who is she?' Ebony prickled at the address, but said nothing. Jade opened her mouth, but was silenced by a cough and a furious look from Flint.

'Blossom,' he interjected, with a nod of respect for the well-dressed woman. A small nod. 'We came across her on the road during our patrol. It was obvious she'd seen that blasted turbine and was heading straight here, so we followed her.'

'If she was on the road, she'd have ended up here anyway,' the boy in the furs said flatly.

'Kwarli's right,' snapped another girl. She was short, with dark curly hair, and carried a large cloth bag on her shoulder. A line of red crosses ran down the left side of her face. 'We all voted on it at the time, so just give it a rest about the turbine already, Flint!'

The woman in charge, Blossom, raised her hands and everyone fell silent. 'What have you learned so far?' she asked the trackers, ignoring the argument.

To everyone's surprise, including Ebony's, it was the Gull who answered. 'This is Ebony, from the City,' he reported.

Blossom gave him an appraising look. 'You've come across her before?' she asked.

'Who hasn't?' he replied. 'Whenever anything went down in the city you could bet she'd be right at the heart of it, and then somehow, when it all died down and the dust cleared she'd be there, at the top. Even got herself elected City Leader at one time, until the Technos showed up and put her back in her place. Last I knew she was running around with a rag-tag army, terrorising the city and calling herself the Bride of Zoot.'

Ebony scoffed at the superior look he flashed her when he had finished. Did he think that her turning up here, away from the City, somehow made them equals? The Gulls were a worthless tribe; the only reason they had any clout was because their leader, Jet, had been able to talk the talk, and loudly. She herself had given in to demands from the Gulls purely to shut Jet up, and this man was no Jet. Like he'd ever achieved anything in his life! He couldn't even track her properly! She scowled back at him.

'Bride of Zoot?' Blossom asked, narrowing her eyes at Ebony. Snapped out of mentally abusing the Gull, she suddenly noticed that the rest of the villagers who were standing there were casting nervous, even horrified looks in her direction, in between talking animatedly among themselves. Good that they were wary of her, but some of those looks were starting to turn to anger, and scared and angry could be a lethal combination, especially when she was so dangerously outnumbered. Only the strangely dressed boy, Kwarli, observed her calmly, and even then she didn't think he'd step in if the others decided to lynch her. He'd probably just keep standing there, watching. She folded her arms and forced herself to meet those stares while frantically trying to work out an escape plan. In the end it was the Gull who saved her.

'She fought the Chosen as hard as anyone,' he admitted. 'Harder than most. Rumour is the Guardian even tried to kill her.' The tension instantly lifted, though some of the villagers still looked uneasy.

'Someone who can rattle the Guardian,' Blossom murmured, almost in awe. 'Thank you, Gar, you've done well.'

'Well enough to keep his first mark, wouldn't you say?' Jade asked.

'Absolutely!' the other girl agreed. 'And give him a second while you're at it!' Jade's smug smile fell. Whatever her views on Gar and the 'others', she didn't think he deserved a second chevron. Needless to say, neither did Flint; his face contorted in silent rage at the order, and he stormed off up the road, back the way Ebony had come. Oh yes, this was all information she could make use of.

'Well, Flint's got the right idea there,' Blossom said, oblivious to his reasoning, then clapped her hands together. 'Excitement over, everybody,' she announced. 'Back to work.' One by one, the villagers tramped back through the gates, Jade casting an abashed look in the direction Flint had gone before returning, all seemingly forgetting about Ebony.

She shook herself. 'And what about me?' she called to their retreating backs. Blossom stopped outside the gates but waited for everyone else to disappear inside before turning to address her.

'That's entirely up to you, Ebony,' she eventually answered. 'You obviously haven't come all this way on your own to attack us, so you're very welcome to come in. Or you can take your chances outside, it's your choice. But you must be tired? Hungry?'

She would have denied it, but at the mention of hunger her stomach complained noisily. 'A little,' she answered grudgingly.

'Then come inside. I promise you, this is the safest place on the island. You can eat and rest, then set off again tomorrow if that's what you want.'

Ebony sighed. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck behind those gates with Blossom and her crazy tribe, but she needed food and water, and a proper night's sleep would be good too. Besides, what she really wanted was information - these people knew what was going on on this rock, and she needed to learn every scrap if she was going to survive.

'One night,' she said firmly, and began walking towards the gates.

'Excellent!' Blossom smiled. 'Then we can get to know each other better. I'd love to hear your stories from the City.' Ebony could almost see the cogs whirring in Blossom's head. What was she after?

Approaching the gates, Ebony noted that the two small children had resumed their lookout. They stopped to watch her as she passed by, meeting her gaze with not even the tiniest bit of fear in their eyes. The girl even had the nerve to smile! Ebony scoffed.

'Some guards!' she muttered.

Blossom stopped abruptly and put a hand on Ebony's arm, forcing her to do the same. Ebony's lips thinned in irritation.

'Kiara,' she called, addressing the little girl. 'I don't think our new friend feels safe here yet. Why don't you show her what you can do?'

The girl, Kiara, smiled excitedly and dashed over to a low makeshift wall of crates just inside the gates, tiny shells on a cord around her neck rattling against each other over her grey knitted jacket as she ran. On top of the wall was a small bow, and Ebony could see that she already wore a quiver of similar size, looking out of place belted on to her jeans of blue denim with pink flowers embroidered on the pockets. Kneeling behind the wall, she nocked an arrow with practiced ease, took a brief moment to aim and then released. The arrow flew through the gate and lodged itself in a tree trunk close to where Ebony had been hiding earlier with a dull _thunk_. The post had been stripped of branches for use as target practice, and had four red and white targets painted on at various heights. Kiara's arrow had fallen right in the centre of the lowest - a good thigh shot, Ebony noted grudgingly - but the girl didn't stop there. Two more shots came in quick succession, with each of their arrows landing in the centre of another target.

'Very good, Kiara!' Blossom gushed, before flashing Ebony a satisfied smile. 'I hope that cleared things up for you Ebony.' Baring her teeth in return, she contented herself with mental images of slapping the other girl, but was saved from having to comment by the twang of Kiara's bowstring. The girl had attempted to hit the last target - at head height - but this time had completely missed the tree trunk. Blossom shook her head. 'You always have to go too far,' she chided. 'Now go and find Jade, and tell her what just happened. You'll lose a marking for this.'

'Aw, but Blossom!' the little girl complained.

'Now, before I make it two!'

Kiara pouted, skewing the single line that ran all the way down the right hand side of her face, almost the same colour as her golden hair, but she obeyed, putting down her bow and running off to find the lanky tracker. The boy immediately took her place by the wall.

'You run a tight ship here,' Ebony noted as she and Blossom resumed their journey.

'I have to,' the other girl replied, firmly and ever so slightly defensively. Just then they rounded the side of the cliff the road had been winding along and the settlement proper came into view. Ebony couldn't help but stop and stare.

'Welcome to Freetown,' Blossom intoned, spreading her arms grandly.

She had expected a small village, and indeed that was what Freetown had been, originally. From where she stood, she could make out two rows of tall houses at the end of the road, the end of the island in fact, as the land fell away to the sea - which was visible between the two cliffs that surrounded the settlement, stretching out to the horizon - only a short distance from the last of the houses. Right there, at the edge, people were emerging with baskets, coming up what must have been a set of steps in the cliff face, suggesting some sort of harbour area at the bottom. Another set of steps snaked its way further up the cliffs above the village, to where the wind turbine that had drawn her here stood. Its purpose seemed obvious now, with the material hanging from its spokes clearly being from the sails, like on an old-fashioned windmill. They must have torn loose in last night's storm. She could see people up there now, setting up scaffolding so that repairs could be carried out. Back on ground level, more people clustered around somebody speaking on a grassy area between the rows of houses, but none of this was what had her gaping like a fish. Between the houses and where she now stood, an entire shanty town of shacks and shelters had sprung up on both sides of the road, completely dwarfing the original village. Its mix of timbers and metals, painted in a multitude of colours or sometimes just left bare, contrasted wildly with the grey stone and straight edges of the original houses, just as the clothes of the people who walked its streets stood out from those of people she had already met. Some of Blossom's tribe were walking about, but the vast majority of people in Freetown wore bright colours and different styles, many of which she recognised from the City. It seemed she had found Flint's 'others', but where had they all come from?

'From all over,' Blossom answered, and Ebony realised she must have voiced that last thought. 'Some, like you, came from the City, fleeing whatever disaster appears to have hit there. The stories get worse every time I hear them, and I'm not sure I believe half of them.' She wrinkled her mouth in distaste, but Ebony allowed herself a small smile. Apparently news of the success of stopping the virus hadn't yet reached the island, which meant she herself held important information. A small victory, if it could even be called one, but she would take it. 'Others found their way here escaping the troubles to the north,' Blossom continued. 'But most of the people in Freetown were Techno prisoners. That's how this place came into being. This island was their holding area for prisoners from their operations to the south. When we got our freedom, the Coyotes returned here, along with many others who were either unable or unwilling to return home.'

Their operations to the south. Ebony shivered. She had figured out from conversations with Ram, Jay and Siva - rest her soul - that the Technos had forces elsewhere, but from what Blossom was saying, they were an even bigger organisation than she had imagined. So many questions ran through her mind, and not least how the prisoners came to be here in Freetown. She thought of Lex, heading in completely the wrong direction, and found herself feeling pity for him, though given how they had parted ways she wasn't sure why.

'You were a Techno prisoner?' she prodded, getting back to the matter at hand.

'Yes,' Blossom replied curtly. 'And that's all I'm prepared to say on the matter.' She started walking down the road towards the town, and Ebony cursed herself for missing her chance at finding out more about the Technos before following at a brisk pace, slowing down when she caught up with the other girl. Not willing to antagonise her any further - at least until she had found out all she could - she contented herself with studying the shanty town as they passed through it. The townsfolk stopped to watch her as she passed, the stranger walking with Blossom; sometimes they would recognise her, though the most she could say about them was what tribe they had been a part of in the City, and that was purely from their appearance. Occasionally someone would smile and wave, or call her name in greeting - which she ignored - but more often they would look at the ground, or rush back into their squalid homes in fear. That was much more satisfying. Not that Blossom noticed the power she held over the former city dwellers. She was too busy looking around, surveying the buildings and people with a sad expression, occasionally letting out a small sigh. As they walked through the shanty town it became apparent that it wasn't just the turbine that had been damaged by the storm. Some of the houses, if that was the right word, had also been affected, and some had even blown over completely. Building construction, understandably, wasn't as much of a prized skill as it had been in the pre-Virus world, and some of the refugees had done a better job than others with their new homes. Dotted along the streets she saw groups of people helping with the rebuilding. She recognised members of Blossom's tribe, with their dull clothes and those hierarchical tribal markings - what had she said they were called? Coyotes? She also recognised a number of city tribes, including some she never would have expected to see working together.

'Doesn't it just break your heart?' Blossom said suddenly, breaking the silence. She gestured to either side of her, at the shanty town and its people. Despite the camaraderie in the aftermath of the storm, the majority of faces conveyed one thing above all else - weariness. 'I try to help as much as I can,' she continued. 'We send teams out to look for more building materials, and those who have the skills have been teaching others, but there's only so much that can be done. Still, it does ease the burden a little knowing we aren't alone.'

'What do you mean?' Ebony asked curiously.

'There are people here from all over this part of the world, Ebony,' the older girl explained. 'I've been talking to as many as I can, and it seems there are towns like this growing everywhere! Safe havens where people come to find refuge, mostly from the cities. Those places, they're far too big for us now. The larger tribes take over, constantly fighting over territory. It's too dangerous. Other people have seen that too, and it makes me certain that what we're doing here is right. The buildings will improve, given time, and with no sectors to fight over, there'll be peace at last. Everyone will have their place in the community and will be able to use their skills so that everyone is provided for. Places like Freetown, Ebony, they're the future!'

Ebony paled. Refugees. Safe havens. Living away from cities. It all sounded far too familiar. Was this some sort of punishment? So soon after losing Slade, with that wound still deep and fresh, despite all she had done to ignore it, had she really stumbled on the makings of another Liberty?

Blossom had clearly sensed her apprehension, but thankfully had come to her own conclusions on the reasoning. 'Believe me, Ebony,' she said. 'I'm under no illusion that Freetown is some sort of Utopia. I know there's a long way to go, and a lot of work to put in, before we come anywhere close.' Her posture straightened slightly, though she hadn't been slouching, and her voice suddenly took on a determined edge. 'That's why I meant what I said before,' she said intently. 'As Council Leader I have to keep order in this place. I have to steer Freetown in the right direction. There are so many people here now, and they're all relying on me to make the right decisions. You were City Leader weren't you? You must understand.'

'Sure,' she lied. 'Society doesn't build itself. Sometimes you have to make hard choices.' Personally she thought Blossom was fretting over nothing. She had always believed that as long as people were doing what she wanted then everything was fine. They stayed out of trouble and she had an easy ride - it was a win-win situation.

'You're right,' Blossom agreed. 'It's going to be hard work, for everyone, but it makes for an easy life. We only have one rule here, Ebony. The Council exists to help settle disputes and lead the people, but we only have one crime, and that is to endanger Freetown. I won't regulate people's lives, but that one condition must be met if we're going to stay safe.'

Ebony frowned slightly. Now _that_ sounded more like her own view, if justified differently, but did that say more about herself, or about Blossom?

At the sound of running boots on tarmac, they both turned to see two Coyotes heading towards them down the road - or towards Blossom at least; the pair ignored Ebony in their haste to reach their leader. Both had similar numbers of chevrons on their faces, but the tall male, of an age and height with Kwarli, had an extra line running straight through the middle of them. For that reason she assumed that he was the one in charge, but was in for another surprise - she had had far too many already today, and was laying the blame firmly on Slade's shoulders; she wasn't usually this scatty, was she? - when the girl, around thirteen, and with a paler complexion than her companion, spoke up.

'Kiara was right,' she said firmly. 'Ash and I have seen the evidence ourselves. And there's more.' She did look at Ebony then, a 'this-is-none-of-your-business' kind of look. 'We need to call a meeting.'

Blossom nodded matter-of-factly. 'Alright then. Rain, you come with me, and fill me in on the way to the council chamber. Ash, can you round up the rest of the Council? Everyone who's not tied up.' The two newcomers, Rain and Ash, laughed as if the older girl had said something funny, before Ash trotted off down to the village, the two women following at a slower pace. Ebony moved to join them, but was prevented from getting close enough to overhear their hushed conversation by a sharp and surprisingly commanding look from Rain. Lagging a short distance behind, she could only look on, grinding her teeth in irritation. She wasn't used to being overlooked like this.

Not far from the grey stone buildings, Blossom suddenly stopped, turning to face her. 'You turning up here like this, at this time,' she said as if thinking aloud. 'You wouldn't know anything about a boat spotted last night, heading up towards the west coast?'

Ebony put on her most innocent face. 'Nothing to do with me,' she replied. And it wasn't, not anymore. Blossom said nothing but smiled knowingly and turned back to her conversation with Rain, ignoring her once more.

When they reached the village proper, she watched as the two Coyotes headed straight to one of the buildings on the left and disappeared inside. Shortly afterwards another Coyote emerged and stood next to the door, a long stick gripped in his hands. Assuming she would be given short shrift once again if she attempted to follow, she headed towards the centre of the village, to the large grassy area which must have once been a park or village green. Now its four corners were taken up by vegetable plots, with turf paths left in between leading to the remaining portion of grass in the centre. Here, a small platform had been set up, with a latticed archway entwined with climbing flowers. A large crowd stood gathered around the platform, obscuring whatever was happening on it apart from the head and shoulders of a Coyote girl standing under the arch. As she approached the throng, one of the former city folk - of which there were many, most of them Gulls - happened to notice her. The lad tugged at the sleeve of the person in front of him and whispered. That girl turned around and gasped when she saw Ebony. Soon she heard her name being muttered all through the crowd, with faces turning to stare at her as if she had two heads.

'What?' a voice cried out from the centre of the mass of people. 'Let me see.'

The crowd parted and Ebony saw two women rise from where they had been kneeling on the platform. The one on the right was just another Coyote, with auburn hair and a band of black diagonal lines like cuts running down the entire left hand side of her face, but the other was more familiar. Dressed in a purple halter neck top, black trousers and a blue denim skirt, with the top part of her face shaded white and huge fake eyelashes, she was unmistakeable.

'Well, well, well…look what the cat dragged in,' Jet said flatly.

'I see you managed to escape the City,' she replied. She should have guessed, with all the Gulls she had seen around the place, that their leader would be here too.

'We were lucky,' the Gull explained. 'Living so close to the docks, we sailed out as soon as we heard the broadcast about the virus. I'm surprised to see _you_ here.' She didn't sound surprised; she sounded disappointed.

'Oh, don't mind little old me,' she replied, folding her hands over her chest in mock humility as she walked to the base of the platform. 'I haven't come all the way here to spoil your…wedding.'

'_This_ is the Freetown joining ceremony,' the first Coyote corrected, the one she had seen over the crowd. She had dark hair and her tribal marking was made up of red crosses. Dressed in a black formal suit, she was clearly overseeing the ritual, and not best pleased that it had been interrupted. 'It is most certainly _not_ a wedding, even when performed between lovers, merely an affirmation of the ties that bind two people together, whatever they may be. Today, Jet and Hazel will be joined together as sisters.'

Hearing the uppity woman's stress on 'today', Ebony held up her hands. 'Well don't stop on my account.'

The Coyote sniffed in disdain and motioned for the two women to kneel down once more. The crowd closed back up around Ebony, leaving her with no choice but to stay and watch. Joining ceremony indeed! A load of nonsense more like! Someone in the crowd handed the presiding Coyote a length of palm leaf cut into a ribbon, and she delicately fastened it around the wrists of the two women, picking a number of pink flowers from the archway and working those into the binding too.

'These flowers are a symbol of your new sisterhood,' she intoned. 'And the binding is a declaration of the ties between you. Until sunset it will test your ability to live with those ties. It may be abandoned at any time before then, but only after sunset will you have proven that the bond is written in your hearts.' She signalled for the pair to rise before finally breaking into a smile. 'The ceremony is over,' she finished. 'The rest of the day is yours.' Cheers erupted from the crowd, which soon started to break up. Many lingered to congratulate Jet and Hazel, or to wish them luck in staying tied together until sunset, but some, including a number of Gulls, simply melted away, eager to get back to their own lives. Eventually only she and the two new sisters were left standing by the arch.

'Cosy,' she observed, nodding at the intricate bond that joined the pair's wrists together.

'I don't expect you to understand, Ebony,' Jet said, rolling her eyes. 'Loyalty was never one of your strong points, but it's what Freetown is built on.'

'If you'd seen what's out there,' Hazel added. 'Seen the threats to our way of life…' She shook her head. 'There are people from so many tribes, so many different backgrounds, in Freetown, but with every link made between two people we're building common ground. We become closer. Stronger.'

'Nice try,' Jet commented. 'But she won't get it. Let's face it Ebony, what would you know about sisterhood?'

Snapping, Ebony slapped the Gull tribe leader. She was exhausted, starving and still reeling over recent events. What she didn't need was a dig about her sisters, however unintentional - she was sure Jet hadn't been aware of Java and Siva, let alone the manner of their deaths, but the insult had hit a nerve nonetheless. Jet raised her own hand for a return attack, but the palm leaf linking her right to Hazel's left meant that she was unable to do so. Ebony smirked in satisfaction, but that was wiped off her face when Hazel slapped her instead.

'Like I said,' Jet smiled. 'No idea.' Ebony scowled in reply as she rubbed her cheek. The Coyote girl was strong! 'Let's get one thing straight here,' the Gull continued. 'You might have called the shots in the City, but don't go getting any ideas about building a nest for yourself here. Any tribe can claim a place on Freetown's ruling council - naturally as leader of the Gulls I have mine - but you can't be a tribe on your own. The truth is, without one of the Mallrats here - or whichever tribe you're leeching off this month - all you're ever going to be is just another townie. The tables have turned, Ebony, and there's nothing you can do about it.'

Ebony's heart sank, but she steeled herself, She had worked her way up from nothing when the Virus hit, and she could do the same again. She did have one trick up her sleeve, though - she now understood Blossom's joke. 'Well, that's me told.' she said, backing off a few steps as if to leave. 'I guess I'd better go and make myself useful then. Congratulations on your…you know,' she waved her hands at the bond. 'It must be very important for you to be missing the Council meeting.' Turning, she smiled, and counted as she walked. One. Two…

'What meeting?' Jet demanded. 'And what would you know about it?'

'I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,' she said sweetly, turning on her heels. 'I was with Blossom when a couple of Coyotes brought her some _very_ interesting news. She called a meeting there and then, but she obviously knew that your family commitments came first. So nice of her not to bother you, don't you think?'

'Hazel's not allowed in the council chamber,' the other girl admitted, then narrowed her eyes at Ebony. 'But I'm only out of the loop until sunset, and if it's as important as you say it is we'll all find out before then anyway. You haven't won anything here, Ebony!'

With that, she and Hazel marched off in the direction of the shanty town, leaving Ebony alone once more. She smiled. She may not have won, but she would happily claim a draw in this round. Scanning the town, she sighed as she realised that nothing else of interest was happening, then noticed that the guard in front of the council building had disappeared. Looking to capitalise on the little she had over Jet - there was no way she was going to let the Gulls be more important than her, however briefly she intended to stay - she headed straight for the now unwatched door, tramping over one of the vegetable plots in her haste to get there. When she approached the door she noticed an old wooden sign jutting out of the wall, painted with an anchor. Apparently it had been a bar before the Virus. She rolled her eyes; she could just about live with this place reminding her of Liberty, but if she found another Ruby here, she thought she would scream.

She pulled the big brass handle on the door and entered the bar. It was dark inside, with only a few candles dotted around the place to provide light, mostly in one corner to her left, where a girl stood singing into a microphone that wasn't working. She wore a low-cut sleeveless black top with huge shoulder pads, and a short black skirt, but was spared from flashing too much flesh by her long platinum blonde - almost white - hair, and thigh high black boots. Only a few patrons - all men - were in the bar, scattered at various tables around the room, but they all clapped and whistled when the girl finished her song. She stood posing for a moment before starting another one. The words sounded familiar to Ebony, taking her back to pre-Virus school dances.

_Is it me, or my imagination?  
__I feel uneasy with this crazy situation,  
__And nobody knows where it's leading to next,  
__And all we can do is hope for the best._

_These kind of things only happen in the movies,  
__It's all fool's gold, all your diamonds and your rubies,  
__There's no more books, so let's write a new story,  
__Of passion and joy, and looking for glory…_

She stopped listening. For one thing, the girl's voice was awful; she thought she could have done a better job herself, not that she had any intention of doing so of course. For another, she had just seen the guard from outside, standing at the bottom of the stairs behind and to the right of the bar, leading to the upper level. It seemed she wasn't going to learn anything new after all.

Disappointment was pushed to the back of her mind, however, along with everything else, when another door, this time to the left of the bar, opened, admitting a young boy carrying a plate of food, which he presented to one of the men sitting ogling the singer. As the smells wafting through from the kitchen reached her nostrils she was reminded just how hungry she was, and her stomach once more rumbled loudly. Forgetting Jet and the Council, she strode over to the bar and perched herself on one of the stools. A smiling Coyote bartender in a black shirt and green tie - the brightest colour she had seen on any of the local tribe - approached her. He had short dark hair and a wavy black line ran partway up the right hand side of his face.

'Hello stranger,' he smiled. 'Welcome to Freetown. What can I get you?'

A menu board stood propped up at the end of the bar. It consisted of one word, in large letters: FISH.

'I'll have the fish,' she replied.

'Excellent choice!' he joked. 'Do you have anything to trade?' He obviously took her facial expression as a negative, as his smile slipped. 'If you don't have anything to trade,' he continued. 'I can always use another pair of hands in the kitchen. It's a messy job, but you'll get credit.' Ebony ground her teeth. There was starting from nothing, and then there was gutting fish.

'I have credit,' a female voice called from behind her. 'And bring one for me while you're at it.'

The barman nodded and went into the kitchen while the singer from the corner tottered over to one of the stools in her high-heeled boots and somehow managed to wriggle her way on without exposing herself any more than she already was. 'Looks like today's your lucky day, Ebony.'

'You're from the City then,' she replied, then reluctantly added 'Thanks.'

'Don't mention it,' the singer smirked. 'And yes, I was from the City. A lifetime ago it seems. Tansy.' she offered her hand but didn't seem the least bit offended or surprised when it wasn't taken. The barman returned with a jug of water and two glasses, which he set in front of the two girls. Ebony raised a questioning eyebrow at him, and he raised his hands in apology.

'We ran out of the good stuff weeks back,' he admitted. 'And trade's been drying up in all directions lately. Fighting in the north, and, well, you'll know better than I do what's been going on in the south.' He gestured at her outfit. 'You might have to wait a bit for your fish I'm afraid, we've been running on camp stoves since the power went down last night.' He gave another apologetic look before moving on to serve someone else.

'I guess that explains the candles,' she muttered.

Tansy nodded as she poured water for them both. 'It's not usually so creepy-looking in here, but Kwarli's turbine got damaged in the storm.'

'You actually get power from that thing?'

'Usually!' the singer laughed. 'He's probably up there right now trying to fix it.'

'Animal boy, eh?' she mused. 'Sounds like a handy guy to have around.'

'All of his tribe dress like that,' Tansy shrugged. 'The Barbs live in the forests on the mainland to the north. And he _is_ handy, in more ways than one.'

Ebony pulled a face. 'You and him?' she asked incredulously.

'As if!' the other girl scoffed. 'But he is the reason I'm here. He rescued me; I owe him my life.'

'Wait, I thought you said his tribe were from the mainland. Weren't the Techno prisoners held here on the island?'

'It wasn't the Technos I was taken by,' the singer grimaced. 'It was the Chosen. You must remember when they took the tribe leaders? Well they sent us to their mines up north. It wasn't fun, I can tell you.'

Ebony nodded, then blinked in surprise. 'You were a tribe leader?'

'The Skinks,' the other girl answered, tossing her hair back in an affronted manner at Ebony's disbelief. It could be true, she supposed. She certainly looked the part, with a green scaly motif tracing each of her cheekbones and curling up behind her eyes, which were made up with black eyeshadow, and bright red lipstick. Her shoulder pads also had a definite scaly feel to them, she now noticed.

'We busted out though,' Tansy continued. 'The tribe leaders, and whoever else would follow us. Only, some of the prisoners, they'd gone a bit…you know.' She circled a finger around the side of her head. 'Started believing the things the guards were saying about the gloried of Zoot. When the time came, we realised we'd been betrayed. We'd got as far as the river when a Chosen ambush appeared behind us, cutting us off. They'd let us escape just so they could destroy us.' Her eyes lost focus as she became lost in the memory. 'It was chaos out there,' she continued. 'Knowing we were probably fighting for our lives. That's when the Barbs arrived, a fishing party, coming down the river in their boats. We didn't know who they were at first - they like to keep themselves to themselves - and when they started firing arrows we panicked, thinking it was all part of the trap. It took a while for us to realise they were aiming at the Chosen. Then I heard someone yelling for us to jump into the boats, so I jumped. Got my timing wrong though, didn't I? An arrow hit me in the side and the last thing I remember before passing out from the pain is landing face first in a pile of fish. Not one of my finer moments.'

_Then why tell it?_ Ebony thought. Either the woman actually enjoyed the adventure, or she just liked the sound of her own voice. 'And the others?' she found herself asking. She was no saint herself, and didn't lose any sleep over any of the city folk who had been taken prisoner over the years, but even Zoot would have been disgusted at the methods the Chosen used to punish those who disobeyed their rules.

Tansy shrugged. 'Some were rescued by the Barbs, I don't know how many. I was out of it for a while, with Kwarli tending my wounds. The others had all left camp by the time I was up and about again. As for those who were left by the river, I have no idea. I hope they escaped, but I try not to think about it too much. When I was fit enough to leave, Kwarli offered to escort me somewhere safe. Said he didn't want to have spent all that time nursing me only for me to get captured again. I think he felt responsible for me though; I think it must have been his arrow that injured me. Anyway, we ended up here - Kwarli got us on the first boat off the mainland - only the Technos had got here first. There were only a handful of Coyotes left in the village when we arrived, the ones who escaped by hiding in the forest. Kwarli was captured the next day, scoping out the Techno forces on his way back to the mainland. I only found out when all the prisoners turned up here out of the blue and he was with them.'

'People keep saying that,' Ebony remarked. 'The prisoners all left, but how? What happened?'

'I don't know,' Tansy answered unhelpfully. Nobody really talks about it. I do know that there were fewer and fewer Technos prowling around the island though. Maybe they just lost control?'

The barman returned with their fish, served with a few stubby vegetables. Ebony's mouth watered at the sight of it. 'There you go ladies,' he said with another smile. 'Enjoy.'

'Wow,' Tansy exclaimed. 'I must have really rabbited on. Come on then, now it's your turn. How did you end up in this place? Is it true you all had to leave the City because of another virus?'

'It didn't get out,' she replied impatiently around a mouthful of fish, then realised she'd have to come up with another reason for being here. 'I got hold of some information about Techno prisoners being held here,' she admitted.

Tansy laughed. 'And what? You thought you'd spring them out single-handed? Miss Look-Out-For-Number-One? I may have been away from the City for a while, but that'd be one radical transformation. You came with the Mallrats, didn't you? I heard there was a ship sighted last night.'

'The Mallrats are dead to me!' she snapped, not feeling as tolerant of the other girl's natterings now that she had her food.

'Ok, whatever!' Tansy cried, throwing her hands up. 'I don't really care anyway, I was just curious. Besides,' she continued in quieter tones. 'Freetown can be dangerous for someone like you.'

'Someone like me?' she said flatly, offended.

'Free-spirited, independent,' the singer clarified. 'Blossom doesn't like that. I assume you've met her already?' Ebony nodded. 'And she gave you her spiel about her vision for Freetown?' She nodded again, more impatiently.

'So she's a goody two shoes,' she spat. 'I've dealt with the likes of her before.'

Tansy laughed. 'I doubt it,' she said. 'Blossom's not a Mallrat. She's so focussed and single-minded. She wants her new society and she wants it the fast-track way. Enforced loyalty and artificial ties between members of different tribes; she'll do anything to get it, and she's not stupid. I bet she's already been gathering information, working out how best to use you to further her plans. You're marked, Ebony. Once she's squeezed all she can from you, she won't jeopardise all she's worked for.' She traced a finger across her throat for emphasis.

Ebony paused with a forkful of fish halfway to her mouth, suddenly disturbed, particularly given Hazel and Jet's fervent defence of the joining ceremony, before shaking her head and laughing. 'Yeah right!' she retorted. 'The worst she'll do is throw me out, how awful!'

Tansy laughed too, only hers had a more sinister tone to it. 'Oh, she'll throw you out alright,' she agreed. 'From the top of the cliff. That's the punishment for breaking Freetown's 'one rule' - the price of freedom, Blossom calls it.'

'Then why don't you all leave?' Ebony asked incredulously.

'Because it works,' the other girl shrugged. 'We _do_ have freedom, after a fashion. More than we'd have anywhere else on this island. As far as options go, this is the best one. And it's not that bad really. As long as we go along with Blossom's grand vision and chip in with the chores, we're fed, watered and protected from the other tribes.' She took on a haughty stance and pitched her voice higher, as if mimicking Blossom. 'Everyone has a skill they can put to use for the good of the community.'

Ebony snorted. 'And what's yours? Scaring people away from the council rooms?' She had meant it as a joke, if a cruel one, but she nearly jumped off her stool when Tansy lunged across and slid her plate out from under her, sending it flying off the bar and halfway across the room before it smashed into pieces on the floor, causing the other customers to whip their heads around. A sharp look from Tansy had them minding their own business again though.

'You want to watch who you're insulting in this town, Ebony,' she said in a dangerously calm voice, as the lad from the kitchens was sent out to clean up the mess. 'I don't see anybody else queuing up to feed you.'

'Sorry,' Ebony said with difficulty, lowering her eyes. 'It's been a difficult few days.'

The singer sighed and pushed her own plate towards Ebony. The boy paused on his way back to the kitchen, half expecting this one to end up on the floor too, and breathed a sigh of relief when it didn't.

'You can finish mine,' she offered. 'I'm watching my figure.'

'You're not the only one,' Ebony noted, referring to the other punters, who kept leering at Tansy.

The other girl shook her head. 'You want to know what my 'skill' is, Ebony?' she asked. 'I give the customers what they want. Whatever they want.'

Ebony grimaced and stabbed her fork into the fish, leaving it there. 'I'm not hungry anymore,' she announced. They sat in silence for a while, before Ebony spoke up again. 'Why are you doing this?' she asked. 'Being…nice, to me?'

Tansy just stared into her glass as if wishing it contained something stronger. 'Sometimes it's nice to have a bit of female company,' she said without looking up.

Ebony pushed her plate away and banged her fists on the bar. 'What is so scary on this island that you put up with all this? I thought the Skinks were supposed to be tough.'

'You try going it alone against the Chosen!' Tansy yelled, regaining some of her spirit. 'That's right, they're here. Or at least something like them. The Guardian was a Techno prisoner here, and managed to gather a new set of followers during his time in captivity. Now they're holed up in a mansion north-east of here, further inland, expanding their forces. It's dangerous out there, Ebony, especially for us city folk, and I'm not planning on being caught by them a second time.'

Ebony clenched her fists. The Chosen. She had guessed it must be them from what she had already heard, but had secretly hoped she was wrong, that those lunatics were finished for good. 'Why is it more dangerous if you're from the City?' she asked.

'The Chosen aren't just looking for converts,' Tansy explained. 'They want information. They target anyone from the mainland coming out of Freetown, hoping that they'll have what they need.'

'And that is?'

Tansy laughed mirthlessly. 'What everyone else on this damn rock is looking for,' she replied. 'A way home. The Technos confiscated all the maps on the island, and didn't leave anything useful behind when they abandoned this place. Anyone from the prison camp who knew the way left as soon as they could, so the Chosen won't find what they're looking for, but that doesn't stop them trying, and every one of us they take is still another 'recruit' for the ranks.' Ebony paled. Now that she thought about it, she didn't think _she_ could find her way back to the City from here. Travelling overland could be difficult enough since the Virus, but throw in miles and miles of identical ocean, with no signposts or distinguishing landmarks, and it became all but impossible. 'And that's not all,' Tansy admitted. 'The Chosen aren't the only threat around here. There's another tribe, the Islanders.'

'Original,' Ebony noted.

'They use that name because they believe they're the only ones who are entitled to it,' Tansy explained. 'The Coyotes, they were originally kids who were sent here during the early days of the Virus. The island was used as a retreat for those whose parents had died, to help them cope, until everyone realised how serious it was going to get, that all the adults were going to die. When it spread here, the kids who lived here, the Islanders, blamed the Coyotes for bringing it, and they've been at war ever since. The Islanders did a deal with the Technos when they invaded, offering to provide security for the prison camp in exchange for the Technos' support of them as top tribe. It must have been a no-brainer for the Technos really - easy labour and the loyalty of the Islanders in return for nothing more than words. When the Technos left, the Islanders started throwing their weight around a bit, even raiding Freetown, but recently they've moved to a hotel complex on the northern end of the island, and we've had something of an unwritten truce. As long as we steer clear of the Resistance, they leave us alone.'

'The Resistance?'

'Not everyone from the prison camp came to Freetown. Some decided to fight back against the Technos and formed the Resistance. Most have left the island now, joining the fighting up north, but there are still pockets of them here, making sure the Technos don't return. It would be nice to have them around, especially with the Chosen growing stronger, but as long as the Islanders stay quiet the Council wants us to have as little to do with the Resistance as possible. Can you believe it? We're slowly driving away the only group that might have helped us.'

Both girls looked up as the sound of chairs moving was heard from upstairs, followed by dozens of footsteps coming down the stairs.

'Speaking of trouble…' Tansy whispered as the Council of Freetown filed through the bar and out into the town, Blossom at their head, an unreadable expression on her face. They walked with purpose and didn't stop to acknowledge anybody in the room. Not long after that Ebony jumped as a ship's horn blared out from somewhere outside; it must have been audible even at the furthest reaches of the shanty town.

'They're making an announcement,' Tansy said, removing her fingers from her ears. Both girls got up and rushed outside, the singer lagging behind in her high heels. On the green, where the arch for the joining ceremonies was made up, Blossom stood on the platform with the rest of the council surrounding her on the grass. Already townsfolk were beginning to gather, but Ebony pushed through them to claim a place at the front of the growing crowd. She hated not knowing what was going to be said; exactly what information had Rain brought to Blossom? And did it have anything to do with what Blossom had asked her about the Mallrats' boat? All sorts of rumours seemed to be passing through the groups of townsfolk, with the majority seeming to favour the return of the Technos. A sudden disturbance in the crowd revealed Jet and Hazel, also manoeuvring themselves to the front, and still tied together at the wrist. Jet cast a sidelong glance at Ebony, clearly unimpressed to see her there before them.

After a considerable crowd had gathered, Blossom gestured to one of the council members behind her and was handed a megaphone, which she raised to her lips. A wave of shushing drifted through the ranks starting from the front, and before long everyone was silent. That was Blossom's cue to begin.

'Most of you will be aware,' the Council Leader began, her magnified voice booming around the settlement. 'Of the rumours of a boat seen approaching the island last night. You will also be aware that I sent two of our best trackers to establish the truth of these rumours. Our people have now returned, and from their report the Council has concluded that, although no boat has been found, it did indeed exist.' Murmurings arose from the crowd at the revelation, some excited, others fearful, and Blossom raised a hand to appeal for quiet once more. 'It appears that the boat contained a small group of refugees from the City, and ran into trouble during the storm.' Ebony frowned. Was this a matter of guesswork based on her own presence in the town, or had the Coyotes encountered the Mallrats too? 'While the fate of most of the passengers and the boat itself is unknown,' Blossom continued, lowering her hand again. 'One man was discovered washed up on one of the beaches up the coast, alive, but badly injured. Unfortunately before our people could recover him, they were disturbed by Islander and Chosen fishing parties. I can confirm that the man is now a prisoner of the Guardian.'

Words kept coming from the Council Leader's lips, but they were muted to Ebony's ears; she couldn't focus on them, and everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Only her own thoughts mattered. Slade. He was still alive, he must be! There was no way that drunken trader could have survived over the man who had infiltrated a building full of Zootists to reach her bedroom and save her from the nightmares Java had inflicted on her. She didn't know if she wanted to turn cartwheels or throw up at the news. Slade, injured and in the hands of the Chosen, but alive! The world returned to normal speed in a dizzy instant as she felt a hand on her arm.

'Are you ok?' Tansy asked, looking concerned. 'You don't look too good.'

She pulled away from the singer's grip and shook herself to clear her head before marching towards the platform. Some of the council members took on a more defensive stance when they saw her face.

'You have to rescue him!' she cried, looking Blossom in the eye.

'Haven't you listened to a word I've said?' the other girl replied, still speaking into the megaphone. 'The man is surely a prisoner by now, if he even survived the trek to the Chosen's mansion. Either he will lead the Chosen back to the City - in which case they will leave us alone - or he will join them, and as much as every new member of that tribe increases the danger to us, it will be even more of a danger to send our own people - skilled people - to mount a rescue attempt. We can't afford to give away good recruits to the Chosen. On top of that we don't know what kind of interest the Islanders will take, and I won't risk antagonising them, especially when they've been quiet recently. No, the Council has voted. It is forbidden to aid this man on the grounds of bringing danger to Freetown. This is the one rule that keeps us safe, and everyone shall abide by it.'

'You _have_ to free this man,' Ebony repeated. 'He…he has skills! He forged the alliance that rid the City of the Technos!' The crowd started muttering excitedly to each other again.

'_Nobody_ will attempt to rescue this man,' Blossom repeated to everybody, though it was clearly directed at Ebony. The muttering ceased immediately.

Fuming, she pointed a finger at the Council Leader and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. What could she say, with the Council and practically the entire town standing there? Much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't rescue Slade on her own, which meant that she couldn't alienate these people as she had the Mallrats earlier this morning. No, this would have to be a more subtle affair, and would mean a longer stay in Freetown than she had anticipated.

'This isn't over,' she told Blossom softly but firmly, before turning on her heels and storming off to the only place she could. Passing the crowd and feeling their eyes on her, she was glad to enter the darkness of the bar, where she took up her stool once more, resting her chin on steepled fingers to plan her next move. After a few moments the sound of the door opening caught her attention and she turned her head to see Tansy standing in the entranceway, one hand resting on the doorframe and the other on her hip.

'Oh, I am so glad you showed up here,' the other girl said with a twinkle in her eye. 'This is just too good. Romance…oh, wait, he's not your brother is he? No? Well then; romance, adventure and lawlessness. The only question is, how do we get your man out of there without Blossom finding out?'

Ebony smiled. This was going to take time, but she already had her first ally.

* * *

Lex's eyes fluttered open gradually, but it took another minute or two for the blinding light that entered his vision to resolve itself into anything recognisable. Clouds floated slowly across a blue sky above where he lay, but some sort of diamond pattern obscured it all. He vaguely remembered being clocked on the head - by a girl! - before blacking out, and wondered if that had caused this strange obstruction to his sight. Occasionally his vision doubled and he had to keep blinking to right it again.

'He's coming to!'

A figure leaned over him, eventually coalescing into two Sammys, as if one wasn't annoying enough. 'Salene! Jay! He's coming to!' the Sammys repeated excitedly, slowly melting together until they formed one sharp image of his fellow Mallrat.

He groaned, lifting his hands to his head and closing his eyes. 'Pipe down, kid!' he croaked. 'I've got a pounding headache.' He forced himself to sit up, grunting in pain as he did so. When he opened his eyes again he saw Jay and Salene making their way towards him.

'Lex!' Salene called out in relief. 'We were so worried! Jay came around a while back, but when you wouldn't wake up I thought…oh, but it doesn't matter now. How are you feeling?'

'Like I've just been hit on the head with a big stick,' he replied flatly, then turned to Jay. 'So they got you too, huh? Guess they must have felt threatened by us men. Where are they anyway? Have they run off? We have to get back on the move.' He started to stand, or at least to attempt to, but Salene stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

'Lex,' she said in an apologetic tone. 'We're not going anywhere.' She waved her free hand at their surroundings and he forced himself to concentrate and take it all in. They were on a beach; he had realised that when he sat up, but what he hadn't appreciated before now was the immense structure that surrounded them, the source of the diamond pattern he had seen earlier. He stood up, with difficulty, brushing aside Salene's attempts to help, and turned around in a circle, his mouth gaping open. They were in a cage, a huge cage, stretching the whole length of the beach as far as he could tell. Made from a number of mismatched sections, it was true, but fastened together securely.

'Sammy and I walked the whole perimeter,' Jay admitted. 'There's no way out, only a door at this end and that's locked tight.'

'And the ones who brought us here?' he asked.

'Apparently their Queen wants to see us,' Salene answered. 'They've gone back to get her, but from what they were saying it was going to take hours.'

'Then we've got time,' he announced. 'We have to find a way out of here.'

'There's nothing, Lex,' Jay repeated. 'We already checked. Are you sure you're feeling alright? Maybe you should lie back down for a while.'

'We have to get out of here,' he said anxiously, not paying any attention to what Jay was saying. 'We have to find the others. Tai San, we have to find her. We have to find them all.'

Jay and Salene looked at each other, and then at him. Why were they looking at him like that, with pity in their eyes? 'Lex…' Salene said softly. 'Look around you.'

He looked, and couldn't see anything different. They were still on the beach, trapped in a cage. A great big cage. Then he realised.

'This is it,' he said sadly. 'This is where the prisoners were. We're too late.' He backed up against the wall of the cage and slid down it despondently.

'I'm sorry Lex,' Salene said, but he didn't reply. Instead he grabbed a handful of sand and watched as the grains fell through his fingers, just like his hopes of finding his wife again.

'Wait, that's it!' Sammy cried. 'The sand! Maybe we can dig our way out!' The youngster scurried over to the part of the cage wall where Lex was sitting and started shovelling sand away from it. The grains kept falling back into place as soon as they were moved, but a definite hole was beginning to form. Filled with renewed hope of escape, Lex rolled over onto his knees and pushed Sammy out of the way, taking over the digging. It took a while to get started, but once he reached the damper sand below it became a lot easier, and the hole grew larger, exposing more of the cage wall beneath. Just when he thought the wire mesh was going to carry on forever, he finally uncovered the bottom bar of the cage, but then disaster struck. His fingers scraped metal with his next scoop; the cage had a bottom. Crying out in dismay, he struck the wall of mesh with his fists, causing it to shake. This wasn't fair! There must be clues somewhere on this island to where Tai San and the others were taken, and he was losing precious time the longer he was cooped up in this cell. Curse Mega! Curse all the Technos!

Sitting back against the wall of the cage once more, and trying not to look at the pity-filled faces of his companions, he began to think. There _had_ to be a way out of this mess; all he had to do was find it. He clenched his fists. Then he would find this Queen and make her tell him what had happened to his wife. Nothing else mattered.

He didn't even notice the fear that was beginning to show on the faces of his fellow Mallrats when they looked at him.


	35. Dangerous Games

_**Author's Note: For Kiara, once again. Happy Birthday.**_

Consciousness returned, along with vivid memories of being submerged in water, of being tossed about like a rag doll in the currents. His brain felt stuffed full of cotton wool but the one thing Slade knew was that, wherever he was now, he wasn't there. In contrast to the inky blackness and roaring tempest of his last memories, here it seemed that the whole world was bathed in a brilliant white light that stung his eyes, and…was he mistaken? Or was that chanting he could hear faintly in the distance?

His vision cleared as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of his surroundings and he became aware of himself, his body seemingly coalescing before him, dressed in a white robe and lying on a four-poster bed. And that smell, so familiar, so comforting. Of course. His mother's scented soap. The rose-scented candles he had burned at Josh's memorial had reminded him of that aroma, but this was the real thing.

It was the pain that told him he wasn't dead. That he wasn't lying in the waiting room of some blissful afterlife, about to be reunited with his parents and brother. Not that he believed he ever would be, of course, not really. Any doubts he might have had as to the existence of a higher power had been killed when the Virus struck. But the pain was very real. His head throbbed - his whole face felt swollen, and every time he swallowed it was like sandpaper was being dragged along the back of his throat. There was a tightness in his chest when he breathed, and the slightest movement triggered a multitude of aches and pains across his entire body, particularly down his left side. That arm had been bound in place across his chest; he thought it must be broken. No, he wasn't dead, but he had surely come close.

He remembered diving into the water after Jay - what had possessed him? Had it been necessity? An adrenaline-fuelled notion that something had to be done? Was it sheer pride, thinking that he could swoop in and save the day? Or was there another reason? He thought back to something he had said at Josh's memorial. _Say hi to our parents for me, Josh. Tell them I'll see them soon, but not just yet_. It had just slipped out at the time, but what had he meant by it? It was something he'd kept coming back to in his mind. He'd had a few dark moments since the memorial, always in private of course, but he had never thought of harming himself in any way, or being so reckless. But on the boat, after spending so much time alone with his thoughts…was it simply that he hadn't thought of the dangers of jumping into the water, or could it be that he hadn't cared? Would it have been a relief if the ocean had just swallowed him up? He couldn't find a satisfactory answer to those questions, and that bothered him.

Whatever his reasons, he didn't remember much of what had happened after he entered the water. There had been a lot of panic, and confusion - just thinking about it now was enough to make him sweat. His last clear memory was of surfacing next to an orange and white striped lifesaver - a miracle if ever there was one. After that it was just flashes: panic again, and pain; there had been rocks, he was sure of that, although even without the memories the state of his body was evidence enough. He thought he remembered sand - a beach somewhere - there must have been, although by that point he was in and out of consciousness. He hadn't seen anything of Jay or the trader. They both were surely dead. As for the rest of the Mallrats, he could only hope that they had managed to keep the boat afloat until the storm subsided, and had since found their way to dry land. Maybe he could even find his way back to them somehow. To Ebony. He winced, though not with the pain. Ebony. He could imagine exactly how she would be feeling. If she loved him - and he thought she did, though it was hard to tell sometimes - then there would have been grief at his apparent demise, but that would have quickly led to anger at having to show weakness, which would only grow worse without a proper outlet. His nonchalant last words to her certainly wouldn't have helped; he could still picture the expression on her face after he had kissed her - a mixture of confusion and anger, something he remembered finding amusing at the time, but wasn't at all funny now. He had treated her badly and, if he ever managed to find her again, there would be hell to pay.

Something moved to his right and the fuzziness in his head cleared as his mind focussed on potential danger. He shifted his head and, through the thin material draping the posts of the bed, made out the shadowed form of a woman rising from a chair.

'Ebony?' he blurted out hoarsely before he could stop himself. If he had paid more attention to the silhouette he would have realised it wasn't Ebony even before a hand reached tentatively behind the drapes to pull them apart. Fair-skinned, with tilted eyes and black hair that fell loosely around her shoulders apart from a thin plait across her forehead, the hand's owner was about as dissimilar in appearance to Ebony as it was possible to be. Her knuckles were white from clutching onto a clipboard held closely to the chest of her blue tunic, as if to protect herself, and her green eyes - so striking on an otherwise plain face - seemed to be open as wide as they would go. He wondered how badly injured his face was, as it seemed to take her a moment to realise he was fully awake and not just calling out in delirium, at which point she let out a sigh and her eyebrows fell to their normal position.

'You're back with us!' she gushed, slightly breathily, scribbling a note on her clipboard. 'He really can work wonders!' She looked upwards in awe before putting her clipboard down on her vacated chair. 'I should never have doubted of course,' she blushed, smoothing the short skirt of her tunic, which was cut with slits all the way around so that it fluttered like ribbons whenever she moved too quickly. Once she had composed herself she stood in front of the bed to address him. 'I am called Naomi,' she smiled. 'I've been looking after you since you arrived. You must be truly blessed for His people to have stumbled upon you as they did. How are you feeling?'

Just as he was opening his mouth to answer, a door opened on the other side of the room. With the drapes still pulled shut on that side of the bed, all he could make out was the silhouette of a man in robes. 'I thought I heard voices,' the newcomer said. 'He's awake then.' Slade didn't need to see Naomi's meek expression to know to be wary of this man. His voice was harsh, his tone cold.

'Yes, Brother Gale,' Naomi replied, bowing her head. 'Just now. I was going to come and call you.'

'It isn't me who needs to be told,' Gale said meaningfully. There was silence in the room apart from Naomi's shuffling feet. Her eyebrows had climbed into her hair again in an expression of pure panic.

'I…I'll go to him…at once,' she managed to blurt out before bowing to Gale once more and scurrying out of the room. Slade began to feel a distinct sense of unease regarding his current situation, even before the whisk of robes along the floor announced Gale's presence drawing nearer. The man rounded the corner of the bed and Slade was finally able to catch sight of him through the open drapes. Of an age with Slade himself, Gale stood resplendent in a thick white robe, under which a thinner robe of blue silk could be seen at the neckline and at the slit made in the front for ease of walking. His hair had been cut close to his scalp with a razor and dyed blue, and his eyes were deep set but piercing, as if he meant to search the very soul of whoever he looked at. Slade could understand why Naomi had been so afraid of him; vulnerable as he was, lying bruised and battered on the bed, Slade was afraid of him too.

Gale bared his teeth at him as if attempting a smile, then picked up Naomi's discarded clipboard and read over whatever notes she had made.

'You're a very lucky man,' he said idly, keeping his attention on the clipboard. 'What's your name?'

Slade swallowed, but his throat remained dry and sore. 'Josh,' he answered, not trusting the other man at all.

'Well…Josh,' Gale continued, still thumbing through Naomi's notes. 'I hope you are enjoying our hospitality. It's not often we see strangers here, not to mention any who have travelled so far, as you clearly have. My master is particularly keen to hear tales of far-off lands; he will wish to speak with you in person as soon as he can, I'm sure.'

That sense of unease Slade was feeling began to grow. Who had Naomi gone to report to? She seemed even more afraid of him than she had of Gale. 'And who's your master when he's at home?' he chanced, the words coming out in a rasp. Gale looked at him then, his eyes like augurs, an awful grin on his otherwise impassive face.

'Your Guardian,' he said simply.

* * *

A sudden breeze, carrying with it the salty tang of the sea, brushed Ebony's braids in front of her face and snapped her out of her thoughts with another brief flashback to the storm on the boat. She had thought after a good night's sleep - and it had been, in a proper bed to boot - that she would feel fine; how long was she going to stay afraid of the wind? She shivered, masking the action by lifting a hand to tame her windswept hair, though nobody was there to see her. That was why she had chosen this spot to gather her thoughts after all. She sat atop a large boulder at the top of what was officially called the Windy Cliff - the fluttering sails of Kwarli's newly-repaired wind turbine behind her attested to that - though she had heard most people refer to it as the Punishment Cliff, with a look of fear in their eyes. This was where Blossom made an example of anyone she considered a traitor, basically anyone who disagreed too vocally with her plans for Freetown, from what Ebony could gather. Thankfully there hadn't been many of those, though of course that did mean that the Council Leader's word was effectively law, no matter what she said about the town's One Rule. Ebony grimaced. She wasn't about to go along with the woman's every whim just like that, but nor did she intend to be the next person tossed off the cliff's edge. That was another reason she sat here - it helped focus her mind on the matter at hand. Slade. It had to have been him the Chosen had found along the shore yesterday, it just had to be! How she hated Salene for not waiting just a little longer!

She forced herself to unclench her fists. There was no time for anger; she had a rescue attempt to plan, and precious few chances to work on it. She had been allowed to share a room with Tansy above the bar, which in one respect was wonderful - she didn't know the first thing about building houses, which is what she would have had to do had she been forced to live in the shanty town with the rest of the refugees, but it made her task difficult in other ways, no doubt the reason why Blossom had allowed it in the first place. For one thing, the majority of her neighbours in the village proper were Coyotes and tribe leaders - people she didn't have a hope of convincing to join her cause, especially when it went against Blossom's direct order not to rescue the prisoner, while the City folk, people she had half a chance of bribing, bullying or otherwise persuading to help her, were so jealous of her luxurious living arrangements - in comparison to their own, that is - that most wouldn't even give her the time of day, let alone listen to what she proposed. For another thing, it was impossible to make her room any sort of base of operations with Tansy 'entertaining' her clients at all hours of the day. Yet another reason for her to be up here on her own. So many reasons, but one thing that was not driving her up here was Blossom. She was most definitely not hiding from the woman. Not at all. She laughed mirthlessly. Not that she could hide from Blossom even if she wanted to. Twice yesterday the Council Leader had sent someone to bring Ebony to her for a 'chat', and she had hinted that these chats would continue for as long as she remained in Freetown. Ostensibly the woman wanted news about the City, and to find out more about Ebony herself, but her questions exposed her true purpose. Tansy had been right, Blossom was trying to squeeze every last bit of information she could out of Ebony about how she had ruled the City, trying to find new ways of consolidating her power and control over Freetown. Ebony wondered what would happen when Blossom no longer found these chats useful.

Suddenly she became aware of the fact that she was no longer alone on the cliff top. She could feel the presence of somebody else, feel their eyes boring into the back of her skull. It was not one of Blossom's messengers or they would have announced themselves already, so that left only one person. One person who would come up here freely, knowing the cliff's purpose. One person who had never spoken to her since her arrival in the town, but had apparently chosen this moment to do so.

'Did you want something, Kwarli?' she asked before turning on her rock to regard the tall boy with the unreadable eyes. If he had any sense, the look in her own eyes would have told him that she didn't think much of people sneaking up on her.

He looked away, though not out of shame or fear - his face remained as impassive as ever - but to study the repairs that had been made to his wind turbine. She still found it hard to believe that the boy in front of her, looking so primitive in his clothes made from animal furs and plant fibres, had the mental agility to design and build the kind of technology this island hadn't seen since before the Virus. Excluding the Technos, at least. The thing was a marvel really. The sails themselves were nothing special of course; she thought she could even make some herself if pushed, though the only use she could think of for such a thing would be to frighten birds away from a field. It was the rest of the mechanism that was a mystery to her, whatever was hidden inside the metal encasement behind the sails, and the long, thick cable that hung down inside the frame of the turbine and travelled all the way down to a small building at the base of the cliff that was surrounded by a newly-built fence and signs warning people to keep their distance. This man had as keen a mind as Jack, or Ram, despite his outward appearance, and she would do well to remember that.

Kwarli brought his attention back to her, giving her a look that said he knew exactly what she had been thinking. 'I know what you're doing,' he stated, the first words he had spoken to her.

In spite of herself, Ebony swallowed under that knowing gaze. 'And what might that be?' she said sweetly. _I am _not _hiding from Blossom!_ she told herself firmly.

The fur-clad boy gave her a flat stare and continued in a tone that said he was humouring her by answering. 'You're planning on rescuing that friend of yours from the Chosen,' he said, then narrowed his eyes. 'And you've got Tansy involved too.'

Hope flooded into Ebony. 'What has she been saying?' she asked.

Kwarli folded his arms. 'I haven't spoken to her,' he replied. 'But there's mischief in her eyes, and she's obviously excited about something. Usually I'd be happy to see her like this, given how she normally spends her time.' His eyes flicked to the ground and he shifted uncomfortably for a moment before meeting her gaze again. 'But like I said, I know what you're doing.'

'Maybe we are planning something,' she said carefully. 'If you're so worried about her, why don't you help us?'

A pained expression appeared in the boy's eyes, and an angry light. It seemed that he had already asked himself the same question, agonised over his decision, and was not best pleased to find himself questioning that decision. Hope trickled away from Ebony before he said a word.

'You won't tell Blossom, will you?' she said quickly, forestalling the negative reply he was about to give. Inside she berated herself for the pleading tone she had used. Hardly the voice of a woman in control, and if he thought she was too weak to pull off her plan, there was no way he would stand by and let her take Tansy into danger.

Kwarli screwed his face up in distaste before answering. 'You and your friend are not my concern,' he said firmly. 'And neither are Blossom and her "Free"town for that matter. But I've worked hard to keep Tansy safe since her escape from the Chosen, and I won't see her endangered again, especially by _them_.' He took a step towards her and she tensed. 'You know what happens to people who go against Blossom,' he said, raising his voice and flinging an arm out to point towards the cliff edge. 'Think about that, and think of this as a warning. For both of you.' He paused, as if annoyed that he'd lost his temper, though not embarrassed, before turning and making his way down the steep stone steps that led back to the village, as silently as he had arrived.

Ebony pursed her lips thoughtfully - she had never seen Kwarli that animated before - then angrily kicked a rock out over the edge of the cliff, overcome by irritation. All the plans she had made so far rested on Kwarli! Apart from the Coyotes, he was the one person who knew anything of the island beyond the town and the Techno prison camps. Without him she'd be scouting blind, and probably end up coming face to face with the Guardian himself. Part of her wanted to. Part of her wanted to get rid of the Guardian once and for all, but that was not the point of her mission. However she looked at it, she was going to be hopelessly outnumbered once she got to the Chosen's mansion - assuming she could even find it! She had to get Slade out of there as covertly as possible. How much easier this would have been if she had found some of the captured Mallrats here in Freetown, but wherever they were, they were not here. That much she had learned soon after arriving. _No!_ she told herself. _No Mallrats! I don't need them, and I wouldn't use them even if they were here. I can do this by myself!_ But she couldn't do this by herself, not with just her and Tansy. She needed to find more followers. But how? She was so sure that Kwarli would have joined them out of whatever it was he felt for Tansy, though in all fairness Tansy herself had been more than sceptical that he would get involved. She shook her head. She didn't understand the relationship those two had. At all. It wasn't romantic by any stretch of the imagination - Tansy had laughed at the very notion - and she didn't think he felt that way about her either. Truth be told, she didn't think Kwarli felt that way about _anybody_; she had heard it was possible with some people, but she couldn't imagine never feeling that…that passion, the kind she felt for Slade. Whatever his feelings, he certainly had never been one of Tansy's clients. The other girl had told her that Kwarli had tried to find other jobs for her, when he found out what she'd been doing. He'd taken her out in a boat to teach her to fish, but she managed to capsize the thing and nearly drowned. Her first foray into the forest with a bow and arrow didn't fare much better either, after mistaking him for an animal in all his furs and nearly killing him. She would have succeeded had her aim been any better. After that she'd made him promise not to try to 'help' her again, which he did, albeit reluctantly. Ebony frowned. But the pair didn't have a traditionally platonic relationship either. Despite a close bond they spent very little time together. Perhaps they were more like siblings - siblings who were completely unalike in every way.

She smiled, remembering her own sisters. She had always been able to make them do what she wanted - Siva, at least - even when it was the last thing they wanted to do themselves. If that was the kind of relationship the two had, perhaps there was still a way to persuade Kwarli to join them. But it would have to come from Tansy. Standing, she dusted herself off, thinking it must be safe to return to her room above the bar by now, and headed for the stone steps, taking each one carefully and deliberately watching her feet so as not to see the drop to the village below. It seemed to take forever, but finally her feet found the bare earth at the bottom of the cliff and she sighed contentedly. That contentment soon disappeared when she lifted her eyes from the ground and found one of the Coyotes watching her as he leaned against the cliff face she had just descended, toned arms folded and one booted foot resting on the rock behind him; Ash, she thought his name was. From what she had learned of the Coyotes' tribal markings, she noted that the line of red chevrons marching up the right-hand side of his face marked him out as an expert tracker, and the vertical line running through them, also red and just as long, named him a proficient hunter too. A dangerous man, and although not a member of Blossom's inner circle she had noticed he was close to Rain, the Coyotes' representative on the Council. A good reason to be wary of him. She resolved to walk past him with little more than an acknowledging nod.

'Clearing your head?' the Coyote asked when she met his eyes.

She stopped mid-stride, forced to make small talk. 'I find the sea air very refreshing,' she said coolly, preparing to walk on.

Ash straightened from the rock wall and walked towards her as she moved forward herself, with the result that they circled each other warily, never dropping eye contact.

'Nice and peaceful up there,' he continued. 'I find it helpful when I've got a lot of planning to do.' He gave her a meaningful look.

Ebony tensed, narrowing her eyes at the man. 'The only thing I'm planning is how best to use my 'skills' to help the community,' she replied in a too-sweet tone, flashing him a fake smile before turning and walking away. She regretted it instantly. Now it looked like she was hiding something.

'Wait!' Ash called, rushing ahead of her and placing a hand on her chest to stop her in her tracks. A hand that he quickly removed with a blush at her affronted expression. 'We all have…certain skills…we can use to help each other,' he spoke into her stunned silence. What was he playing at? Could he think…?

'I'm _not_ Tansy,' she said in a dangerously calm voice.

Ash's eyes widened and he shook his hands in a calming gesture. 'No! No, I…I just…' He took a breath to calm himself before beginning again, slowly. Carefully. 'What I meant to say was, it's good that you're thinking of your skills…as I'm thinking of mine. Too many of our skills are lost to the Chosen's ranks.' He fixed her with another meaningful stare.

Her eyes widened. Was he…offering to help? It hardly seemed possible, given his tribe and his allegiance to the Council. She had to make sure before she said anything she would regret.

'It must be a blow whenever any of your people are taken by the Chosen,' she said carefully.

He nodded. Was that relief in his eyes now that they were on the same page? 'Especially when they take someone close to us,' he agreed. Her heart jumped. He was talking about Slade, he must be! Why didn't he just say it plainly? Of course…

'It's a pity Blossom doesn't feel the same way,' she complained. Ash nodded vigorously. She'd hit the nail on the head. A glimpse of movement behind Ash announced the arrival of Rain, with her eyes focussed on Ebony. It didn't take a genius to figure out why.

'Blossom might say it's a pity everyone doesn't feel the same way as her,' Ash said quietly as Rain reached them. That was it, as close to confirmation as she would get, for now at least.

'Ebony, Blossom wants to see you,' Rain announced. 'She said to tell you she's been looking forward to discussing the finer points of currency all morning.'

'Me too,' Ebony said absently, her mind on other things. 'Well, I'd best not keep her waiting then, had I?' She smiled at Ash. 'You and I should talk later,' she said. 'Get to know each other a little better.'

'I'd like that,' the Coyote replied.

Feeling pleased with herself, Ebony made her way through the village towards Blossom's house - a perk of being Council Leader, having a whole building to herself - not worrying about the meeting to come at all. She was sure she had just gained another ally, and with Ash on her side, perhaps she didn't need Kwarli at all.

* * *

Rain glared at Ebony's back until the other woman disappeared into the village, then rounded on Ash. 'Tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing!' she snapped.

'I'm not doing what you think I'm doing,' her friend replied with barely a hint of mockery. Even so, or maybe because of it, she clenched her fists in annoyance. 'Oh come on, Rain,' Ash continued, making a pleading gesture. 'How long are we going to sit here hiding while the Chosen grow stronger and the Islanders get their confidence back now they're no longer under the Technos' thumb? Once the Resistance are gone what's to stop one or both of them crushing us where we sit?'

Rain suddenly lost her anger. 'You've been in contact with the Resistance?' she asked quietly - it was forbidden, after all - but with interest. Everybody knew that most of them had left the island to carry on the fight against the Technos, but some still remained, trying to keep the place safe. If those few were now leaving…

'I've been trading with Kal,' the older Coyote admitted. 'Not here,' he added.

Rain nodded. Kal wasn't exactly part of the Resistance, at least not anymore. Like so many in the prison camps he had formed a relationship with one of his fellow captives and, rather than continue to pursue the Technos after their fall, had chosen to settle down with her in an abandoned cottage further inland, as far from the Islanders and the Chosen as he could get. Nevertheless, it was known that Kal stayed in contact with Resistance members still on the island, and he hadn't been seen in Freetown since Blossom's order not to associate with the freedom fighters. It was difficult to know what Blossom would make of anyone meeting with Kal. Ash was wise to do it outside of the town.

'What have you found out?' she asked.

Ash grimaced. 'It looks like Kwarli's predictions have come true. The Chosen on the mainland have regrouped under a new leader, and they're taking advantage of the Technos' weakened position to stake their own claim on the northlands. The Resistance are caught up in it big time and are pulling everyone off the island to join the fighting. It sounds like chaos up there; Technos against Chosen - or Privileged, or whatever they're calling themselves now - and the Resistance against them both. Even the Barbs and the rest of the tribes are crawling out of the woodwork and starting to choose sides. The good news is they're all too preoccupied to bother us for a while, but we're going to have our own problems soon enough, when the Resistance abandon us completely.'

Rain felt sick. Left to the mercies of the Chosen and the Islanders. 'How long?' she asked.

'A month, at most,' Ash replied. 'Then we're on our own.'

'Does Blossom know?'

'Of course she does.' There was a thread of irritation in his voice at the suggestion he could have kept the news to himself. 'I told her it had come from Kwarli's sources. I think she believed me. Not that she means to do anything about it other then have Hazel step up training for the militia; the order to stay away from the Resistance still stands. Given that she obviously hasn't discussed it with the Council, I doubt she means to retract that now, or to do more. That's why this could be our best chance to do some damage to the Chosen while there are people around who are willing to fight!'

'You mean Ebony?' she sneered. 'She'll never gain enough support to make it worthwhile, Blossom's seen to that. And even if she did, even if _someone_ helped her, do you really think she has any interest in Freetown? Assuming she's as good as they say and she rescues her friend, she won't stick around to help you. She's out for herself, and she won't care who she sells out along the way. I know her sort, and you can be sure it won't be her who has to face Blossom when this is all over.' _If there's anybody left alive to face her_, she thought.

Ash was silent for a while, his brown eyes studying her. 'If you really think Blossom's right about this,' he said finally. 'Then report me.'

'What?!' she cried. 'She'll kill you!'

'Maybe,' Ash admitted. 'Though it's more likely she'd pull up Ebony for corrupting her subjects. I'm too useful to get rid of if she can find another way. The worst that can happen is the Chosen kill me, or recruit me, and either has to be a better option than waiting here to be wiped out. That's why you won't report me. You know this has to be done. I'm not asking you to help - I know you can't, in your position - but you can't defend Blossom on this one. I know you too well.'

'You say you won't ask for help, but you're already putting me in a difficult position. If Blossom finds out, I can't protect you.'

'You're already in a difficult position,' her friend replied. 'Having to work with Blossom and all the greasers on the Council in the first place.'

'And it's dangerous enough trying to advise her without you pulling a stunt like this! She knows we're friends! She won't believe I knew nothing about it; if you go ahead with this, we'll both be in hot water.'

'I know you've been trying hard with her,' Ash carried on. 'But we don't have time to pussyfoot around anymore. Four weeks, Rain! If we're lucky! We have to strike first, show them all we can hold our own. Hurt the Chosen, and maybe convince the Islanders that we're worth allying with. It's the only way we're going to survive.'

'I'll talk to her about the Resistance,' she argued. 'Now I know what's happening I can try and change her mind on that at least, I just need some time.'

Ash shook his head. 'I think it's already too late for that, but I'll make sure anything…proactive, shall we say, gets planned out properly. If you think you can work a miracle by then, feel free.'

Her friend made his goodbyes before leaving, no doubt to wait for Ebony to be finished with Blossom. Rain sighed in frustration. Part of her did think something had to be done other than build up the town's defences, especially with the Resistance about to abandon the place. The Islanders, and probably the Chosen, too - she didn't dare underestimate the Guardian, despite the split among the Chosen and the man's obvious insanity; that just made him more dangerous in her eyes - had contacts off the island, while Freetown cut itself off from the world more and more each day. She didn't doubt that losing that link would have the same effect as cutting an artery. Part of her thought that. The rest knew that no outsider could ever have their community's best interests at heart. Ash was playing a dangerous game with Ebony; he thought he understood the rules, but already he had proven to her how naïve he really was. Especially when it came to Blossom. Perhaps it was because he had been an Islander, but he clearly hadn't realised the full extent of Blossom's ambition now that she had so many people under her authority. As a Coyote she had been driven; as leader of Freetown she was becoming ruthless, and she certainly wouldn't protect Ash over her precious Ebony, not when the woman was a walking encyclopaedia of how to cement her power. And she was succeeding. People _did_ look to Blossom for leadership, and there _was_ a sense of community, despite the disparate collection of tribes that had settled here. That was why Rain felt sure that the future of Freetown rested on Blossom, on making their leader see sense, and not on some hare-brained scheme that could tear the town apart, not to mention bring the Chosen down right on top of them.

Muttering to herself as she went along, she walked back to the building that housed her room, already planning what she would say to Blossom.

* * *

Slade smiled - as much as his swollen face would allow - as he lay in his bed listening to Naomi chatting away, though he only half heard what she was saying. Sometimes his concentration waned - a lingering effect from his ordeal, a knock on the head, Naomi had explained, and one that would pass soon enough; part of the reason she had been set to look after him. He suspected he knew all too well why else she was there. He had still only had contact with Naomi and Gale since he regained consciousness, but it was clear that a whole tribe was living in this house. All well and good if they were all like Naomi, but he had a feeling that 'Brother' Gale was more representative of the tribe as a whole, and that Naomi was as much his guard as she was his nurse, whether she saw it that way or not. He wondered, when it came time for it, how easy it would be to leave. He wondered what his benefactors would want from him for their kindness.

Still, here and now he could enjoy listening to Naomi. On her own she was actually quite witty, and intelligent, when she forgot herself enough not to be as meek as she was in front of Gale, that is. She was certainly knowledgeable enough of her medical skills to go about changing his dressings and taking his temperature and what-not with an air of confidence that brooked no nonsense if he tried to complain. And she was pretty. With Gale gone she smiled and laughed, making those beautiful eyes shine with joy.

Seeing her face made him concentrate on what she was saying once more. 'I heard Him once, you know,' she spoke softly, as if sharing a confidence. 'I had just buried my brother. The Technos killed him as they were fleeing the island. He only wanted to know why they were abandoning us - we all did - but they just shoved him away, and one of them fired her weapon at him. So I took him into the forest and buried him. I knew I couldn't go back to the Islanders after that, not when the Queen was still singing the Technos' praises. But I had nowhere else to go. That's when the Oracle appeared to me. He was speaking through it, but of course I didn't know who He was then.' She lowered her eyes briefly, as if ashamed. 'He told me to follow Him. So I did, and He led me here.' Abruptly she brightened, taking one of his hands in both of hers. 'And now He's done the same for you. See? He always comes to us at our time of need.'

'Well,' Slade croaked. 'If he led me to you, he certainly gets my vote.'

Naomi giggled, then put a hand over her mouth, colour blooming in her cheeks. She looked as though she didn't know whether to be delighted or scandalised at the flippancy of his remark.

Abruptly the door swung open and Gale entered, pushing a rickety wheelchair in front of him. His sunken eyes passed over the two of them with an unreadable expression before he addressed Slade.

'I am to bring you to the Guardian,' he said with a sneer, his hands tightening on the handles of the wheelchair as if forcing himself not to fling it aside in contempt. 'Immediately.'

Slade glanced at Naomi, who had that panicked look on her face again. No, not panic, he realised. There was fear there, certainly, but mixed with more than a touch of awe. Slade was to be honoured, it seemed.

Since Gale made no move to come closer with the wheelchair, Naomi helped him out of bed and steadied him as he hobbled over to it, being mindful of his broken arm. Surprisingly, he realised, though he ached all over most of his difficulty walking seemed to come from general stiffness. The brunt of his injuries appeared to have been taken by his face and upper body, but it might be useful to let Gale think he was weaker than he was. Besides, he thought as he fell into the chair with a grunt - the thing was just as uncomfortable as it looked, being narrow-seated and hard to boot - why walk when he could let Gale do the work?

Leaving Naomi behind - the summons was for Slade alone, apparently - he let Gale wheel him out of the room and into the corridor, where he got his first proper look at his current lodgings. He had to admit it was impressive; the wide corridor of recently-polished floorboards overlooked a grand wooden staircase that snaked its way down to the ground floor of what must be one wing of a sizeable mansion. Seated as he was, he was too low down to see anything that might be going on down there, but he heard the sounds of people talking to each other, moving between rooms and generally going about their daily routine. A busy routine, from what he could gather. From time to time he also caught snatches of chanting, like that which he had woken to, from deeper inside the building. Passing by the staircase, the corridor was now bound by a stretch of wall lined with tall, bare windows at regular intervals. The windows let out onto a balcony overlooking what must once have been immaculately kept lawns, but had now grown into a meadow of tall grass and wildflowers, beyond which a forest stretched as far as he could see. He suppressed a sigh. Nothing helpful there. He could be anywhere!

Around a corner came two men, one fair-skinned, the other dark, but both wearing blue tunics, the kind that Naomi wore, rather than Gale's blue and white robes. As they passed by him, bowing slightly to Gale as they murmured their greetings, Slade had a flash of memory, a vision of those two faces staring down at him as he lay gasping for breath on wet sand, of the two men tying him up and half-dragging him through the forest, not caring if he tripped and fell or stubbed a toe on a root or rock. These were the men who had brought him here, and if the remembered fragments of his journey were anything to go by, they weren't friendly. He was starting to get a very bad feeling about this place. Just where was he being taken?

Gale turned him around the same corner the two men had emerged from, and Slade realised the chanting he could hear was getting louder. Another corner brought them into a narrow passage - he could have touched both walls if he stretched out his arms - but he could see light up ahead. Sure enough, the passage let out onto a gallery, framed on both of its walled sides by a thick blue curtain with gold fringing and tassels, and railed at the far end where it overlooked what Slade recognised as the mansion's private chapel, its tall stained glass windows filling the wall opposite him and bathing chapel and gallery alike in a patchwork of coloured light. Here, he supposed, a small orchestra or choir would have performed to the congregation below, their hymns resounding around the chamber with the acoustics of the place.

The gallery wasn't empty when Slade arrived. A lone man stood at the gleaming brass railing, hands clasped behind his back, though half-hidden by the lace protruding from the large cuffs of his dark blue velvet coat, which was edged in gold cord all the way up to the high collar. His trousers were of a similar colour, ending at the knee, where pristinely white-stockinged legs stood above just as pristinely polished black shoes with large brass buckles. The light from the windows shone around his head, making his blond hair, gathered at the neck with a black ribbon, seem to glow. He turned to them as they joined him at the railing, brass buttons down the front of his coat glittering as he adjusted it. That action, with his elbows sticking out, combined with the ruffles on his white shirt, made him appear like a tall bird proudly puffing its chest out. Just for fun, Slade tried to picture the man with an eye patch and a parrot on his shoulder.

'I have brought the traveller to you, Guardian,' Gale announced behind him, before withdrawing to the corridor end of the gallery, those piercing eyes remaining fixed on Slade as he stood against the wall. The other man, the Guardian, gave the barest of acknowledgements before he, too, turned his attention to Slade. There was an expectant air about him, as if he were waiting for Slade to recognise him, but Slade was certain they had never met before. He would have remembered that face, those eyes, sparkling as if on the verge of laughter, or maybe anger, either seemed as likely.

Unnerved by that unwavering gaze, Slade instead peered through the railings in front of him to the chapel below. That was the source of the chanting he could hear, a group of kids standing behind the altar and dressed in white robes, like the one he himself was wearing, taking it in turns to repeat a catechism about 'true believers' and 'chosen followers' and some sort of great tribulation that had passed, while the rest sang a wordless harmony.

_In disorder, we found strength,  
__From the chaos, came our power.  
__We are the true believers,  
__We are His chosen followers._

Before the altar, rows of pews sat mostly empty, though here and there a white-robed figure or a youth in a blue tunic sat in quiet contemplation or listening to the group on the dais, sometimes nodding agreement or repeating the words in a quiet murmur. Most odd to Slade's eyes was the white-robed boy kneeling at the foot of the darkly-varnished wooden pulpit, atop which rested a domed cage containing a great white bird with a yellow-green crest and a sharply hooked beak. _So he does have a parrot_, Slade mused, watching in disbelief as the boy looked up at the bird in wonder, clutching a notepad and pencil to his chest.

'What is your name, traveller?' the Guardian asked at last. Slade looked up to see the man's eyes still fixed on him. He had the feeling they hadn't left him at all. He opened his mouth to speak his name, only remembering at the last minute that he had given his brother's to Gale. He cleared his throat to cover.

'Josh,' he answered finally. 'My name's Josh.'

'I trust you are recovering well, Josh.' It was not voiced as a question, and the tone suggested that the Guardian cared neither one way nor the other, but those eyes demanded a reply nonetheless.

'Naomi has been taking good care of me,' he said with a smile. It was the truth, too.

The Guardian continued to stare at him. Chanting voices filled the silence.

_His voice brought freedom,  
__His spirit broke our chains.  
__We are the true believers,  
__We are His chosen followers._

The Guardian bent as if to sit, and before he was halfway down a trio of these self-proclaimed true believers - of what, he was still not sure - scurried forward out of nowhere carrying an ornate bench with a red velvet cushion and gilded legs ending in lions' feet, though really only two of them carried it, both women with hair styled like Naomi's. The third, a boy of about fifteen with short, dark hair, instead fussed over the Guardian's coat, draping the excess length over the back of the bench as he sat down. Then, as quickly as they appeared, they scuttled off again to stand in the shadows, out of sight.

'The brothers and sisters are curious about you,' the Guardian said, smiling warmly. Slade blinked in confusion as the other man just carried on without even acknowledging what had just happened. Clearly this was all meant to put Slade at his ease - a time for relaxing chat - but who could relax in the presence of a man who just expected a chair to appear when he decided to sit down? The fact that it had only made it worse! Who were these crazy people?!

'We don't see many travellers here,' the Guardian continued. 'You must give us news of what is happening in the world. We hear all sorts of…rumours. Which direction did you come from? North? South?' He leaned forward slightly on that last word, eyes glittering.

'That would depend on where here is,' Slade grinned ruefully. 'I'm afraid I've been lost at sea for days. I'm not sure where I am in relation to where I've come from.' He wished that were more of a lie than it was. He knew Lex had been leading them north, but exactly where he had washed up was anybody's guess. He knew one thing though; he hadn't liked the look in the Guardian's eyes when he mentioned the south. There was no way he was going to tell anything that linked him with the City. 'In fact,' he added, a sudden thought occurring to him. 'I can barely remember setting off at all. Everything's a bit of a jumble in here.' He patted his head and tried to look confused.

The Guardian leaned back again, though he still looked at Slade as though he were a puzzle he intended to solve. 'Of course,' he said, then abruptly stood. The three lackeys darted in again to remove the seat and at the same time Gale approached with the wheelchair. 'You interest me Josh,' the Guardian continued. 'We must speak again. Perhaps you will remember more next time, and between us we can find your home.'

Slade didn't know what to say, so he just nodded in what he hoped the Guardian took for gratitude. Letting Gale wheel him back to his room, he ignored the luxury around him in favour of desperately assessing his situation. It certainly was all a jumble, just as he had told the Guardian, only not in his head. That felt clearer than it had since he had found himself here, and was now working overtime trying to find a way out. He had bought himself a little time at least, he thought, but there was something the Guardian wanted out of him, and he didn't think he would be allowed to leave until he got it. He only wished he knew what it was.

* * *

The Guardian tapped his chin thoughtfully as Gale escorted Josh back into the main house. Josh was a false name, of course, but names weren't important. He barely remembered ever being called Jaffa himself. 'Bring me the patient's notes,' he ordered, hardly waiting to see one of his followers dash off out of the gallery to obey before pulling back the curtain at one side of the gallery and stepping into one of the concealed stairwells that spiralled down to the chapel. Down he went, pondering over the man who had just been presented to him. He was certainly a puzzle. He had been sure at first that the man had somehow found his way here from the City, even though the garments he had been found in didn't prove anything one way or the other, but Josh hadn't known who he was at all. There hadn't been the slightest hint of recognition in the man's features, and the Guardian had been looking for it. But surely if he had come from the north instead, he would have encountered the Chosen there too?

_Not the True Chosen!_ a voice in his head growled angrily. The Guardian nodded agreement. Once they had been brethren too, but not anymore. Now the Chosen, the True Chosen, were pure. He reached the bottom of the stairwell and began walking down the side aisle towards the altar. _Too much Power and not enough Chaos to balance it_, the voice mused. That was true too. Given control of the prisoners in the mines, those fools in the north had had too much of an easy ride. They had grown idle, and when the Great Tribulation came they had abandoned Zoot for their own selfish appetites. As he walked through the Chapel, the brothers and sisters started shying away from him, from the dark look that was growing on his face and in his eyes, but he didn't care. Zoot was with him. He reached the front pew and took a seat where he could see both altar and pulpit.

It had been a carefully orchestrated scene he had laid out for Josh here. The altar's centrepiece, a great iron stalk surmounted by a Z, simple yet bold, had been moved from its usual place to a table further up the dais, behind the group proclaiming Zoot's Word. Likewise the icons of the Mighty One himself - the precious few he had managed to carry out of the City - were on the floor at the base of the altar, in front of the foremost row of pews, obscured from the view of anyone on the gallery by carefully placed brothers who had been told to sit and contemplate them. To remove them entirely would be sacrilege of course, but he couldn't let Josh see too much yet. Not until he was sure the man wouldn't try to escape at the first mention of the Mighty One's name. He was too important yet to have to kill.

A high-pitched squawk drew the Guardian's attention to the pulpit, where the scribe at the base was lifting his pen in anticipation. The Oracle was awake.

_I have eyes everywhere!_ the voice in the Guardian's head said proudly. _I have voices everywhere!_ As if to prove it, a cacophony of different voices repeated the words, all reverberating in the Guardian's head. _Voices everywhere! Everywhere! I have voices everywhere!_ The Oracle squawked mockingly, and the Guardian pressed his fingers to his temples, whimpering slightly. It was on the beach, in those cages, that the voices had first come to him. They had alarmed him at first, until he had realised what they were. The voice of Zoot. One of them, anyway. In his darkest hour, when the Chosen had been scattered by the true bringers of Power and Chaos, Zoot had appeared to him, a voice to guide him through the Great Tribulation, and to bring the Chosen back into the fold - the True Chosen, those who had suffered for Power and Chaos and remained loyal, and new followers whose captivity had helped them to see the true way. But Zoot's gift came at a price, for with Power there is always Chaos to balance. Voices. So many of them. Their number waxing and waning as the days dragged on, and always a battle to distinguish which was really Zoot guiding him and which were impostors. But the Guardian had shown himself to be worthy. Each time he had chosen the correct path, and now Zoot's people were as strong as they had ever been. With an effort, he prised his hands away from his head, refusing to acknowledge the impostors. And found himself meeting the gaze of the Oracle.

The Oracle. How he had come to detest that bird. At first, when the creature had joined him in his sermons on the beach, it had been a comfort. To know that another shared the gift of Zoot's voice. But increasingly the wisdom of the Oracle was contradicting the orders the Guardian tried to give, acting on Zoot's advice. The outcome was Chaotic, certainly, but where was the Power? The Guardian could feel it slipping away from him, and he didn't like it. Not after all his loyal service to the cause! But the brethren knew that the Oracle had led them all here, had found this mansion, and that gave it the edge. For now.

The Oracle squawked again, raising its crest, green and yellow feathers standing proudly above its white head. The Guardian curled his lip in distaste. That crest always made him think of the previous Oracle, the Mallrat KC, who had proved to be an impostor. But perhaps…if the current Oracle could be shown to be an impostor too…

'Squaaaaawk! Zoot sees all! Zoot knows all! Squaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawk!'

The Guardian shot to his feet in fright, startling the scribe who had begun copying down the Oracle's words. The voices returned tenfold.

_You would harm the Voice of Zoot?!  
__Kill the bird!  
__Zoot sees all.  
__Death to the impostor!  
__Bow down and repent!_

He covered his ears, trying to drown out the sounds. Outraged voices, angry that he had doubted the Oracle. Conspiratorial voices, urging him to do away with his rival. And threaded throughout them all, voices that simply laughed, mockingly, disparagingly, madly. Sometimes Zoot's gift was too much to bear. Sometimes he wished…no, he would not blaspheme. But why should he suffer so when the Oracle sat calmly on its perch, watching him with that unchanging expression?

'Guardian?'

_Mustn't show weakness_. That thought, at least, was his own. With a yell of fury he lashed out, knocking the brother who had addressed him to the ground. He was a leader, after all. His purpose was to show others the way to Zoot. He couldn't afford to be seen in a moment of struggle. Because he wasn't weak; the Oracle may have led the Chosen to this place, but it had been the Guardian who brought them out of the cages in the first place, who had triumphed over the bringers of Power and Chaos and reclaimed them for Zoot! He was strong!

'Get up!' he ordered the youth in the blue tunic who he had sent to the floor. He received no reply. 'I said rise, brother!' The young man lay there, unconscious. A ripple of bows ran across the room as the Guardian spread his gaze over the rest of his followers in the chapel. He nodded in satisfaction. They knew who led them.

Abruptly he noticed the clipboard the brother on the floor had dropped. Picking it up, he scanned the first page and recognised it as the notes for the patient he had just seen, Josh. Had he asked for those? He was about to toss them to the ground again when a familiar name at the bottom of the page caught his attention. A name the man had apparently called out on awakening. It could be coincidence. More likely it was Zoot's doing.

The Guardian laughed, tracing the name with a finger. 'Ebony,' he murmured.

Zoot had delivered a great bounty indeed.

* * *

The cage shook against her back as she sat against it and Salene wriggled, shifting her position in the vain hope of finding one that was a little more comfortable. She no longer worried about the dirt and sweat on her face and hands, or the sand in her hair and clothes. They were minor inconveniences, inconsequential in comparison to the greater problem of being imprisoned on the beach, captives of the peculiar tribe whose Queen was so eager to see them. Salene grumbled to herself. So eager that she had left the island on important business and her followers didn't know when she would be back. That had been last night's news. After a whole day locked in the cage, a single tribe member - an Islander, he had called himself - had appeared in the evening to tell them that the Queen had gone away. He had refused to answer all but the most basic of questions, and not many of those. He left them clawing at the mesh of the cage, trying to talk to him, Lex yelling at his retreating back, but he had ignored all of it, eventually disappearing into the forest. They hadn't seen a soul since, and it was now well into the afternoon of their second day in captivity.

The cage shook again, and she made herself look at Lex, who had been throwing himself against it. An assortment of stones and debris dug from the beach surrounded him, all discarded after failing to break through the barrier. Bruised and bloodied, her fellow Mallrat had long since stopped listening to their protestations that he was hurting himself, and Jay had ended up with a black eye the one time he tried to physically hinder him, so now they settled for one of them keeping a close eye on him at all times to make sure he didn't hurt himself too badly. Right now it was her turn. Jay and Sammy were away investigating the other end of the beach - she could just make out their indistinct forms in the distance - though more for exercise than in the hope of finding something useful. She wished they would come back. Not for Lex; he seemed to have exhausted himself for the time being, leaning against the cage wall with his head bowed. Just for the company. When she was alone - and she might as well be, the way Lex was - her thoughts turned to their predicament. How long would the Queen be gone for? Would anyone check on them in the meantime? Would they be fed? She tried not to think about how far their remaining rations of food and water would stretch. The worst part was knowing where they were - the same place the prisoners taken from the City had been held. She and her friends had only been here for two days. What must it have been like for the prisoners, locked up in here for weeks? Months, even? Cooped up with countless others, the sea outside the cage reminding them how far away they were from home.

She shivered. The sea served as a reminder for her too. Sitting there, listening to Lex's ragged breaths, she closed her eyes and thought of home.

* * *

Atop the Windy Cliff once more, Ebony fumed. The toes of her boots were scuffed from kicking rock after rock over the edge, imagining Blossom's head with each one. The woman never stopped asking questions, and no matter how much Ebony told her, she never seemed satisfied. She had been all ready to schedule another meeting for this evening to discuss how to find the resources needed to mint her proposed currency, despite Ebony having stated at least three times that she didn't have a clue about the practicalities of the matter - Luke had seen to all that, after all - and had only postponed it after Rain had poked her head in asking for a meeting at the same time.

Taking a deep breath, she composed herself. Things weren't all bad, she told herself. It seemed word was spreading about her rescue plan for Slade. She had returned to the bar after her meeting with Blossom to find Gar and others of the Gull tribe standing outside conferring about something. When they saw her they had begun talking about Jet and how she was spending more time ingratiating herself with the Coyotes and the Council than she was looking out for her own tribe, just loud enough for her to hear and obviously intending her to, the way they kept shooting glances in her direction. They were clearly dissatisfied, and looking for someone familiar to take them under their wing. A few questions to the right people would gauge exactly how many of the Gulls would follow her and then she could scoop them up, along with Ash and perhaps some of his friends among the Coyotes too. In fact, she had been about to ask Tansy what she knew about the situation with the Gulls - she seemed particularly knowledgeable about the various undercurrents in Freetown…

But Tansy hadn't been alone when she went up to their room. That was why she was stuck here again, biding her time, clinging on to patience with a finger's grip. It was so frustrating! Every minute counted for Slade, and it would still be days before she had enough support to even start thinking of a proper plan of attack for his rescue. More, if she had to work around everyone else's schedules! It didn't help that she knew Blossom had made it as difficult as possible for her. She kicked another rock over the edge for good measure, irritated once again.

Watching the rock fly through the air and out of sight, she kept her gaze on the horizon, on the water stretching out as far as she could see. Looking out across the waves, to where she knew the City lay, somewhere in the distance, she realised she didn't feel the slightest bit homesick. All her thoughts were directed north, to the Chosen's mansion. To where Slade was. And wherever he was, she knew now, that was her home. Knowing that fact fuelled her determination, and it was strangely liberating. Let the Mallrats live it up as City Leaders, without a care in the world. This time she would get what she wanted, and they wouldn't be there to take it off her.

* * *

Safe in the heart of the power station, Link shook her head in disgust at the images of the outside world she was viewing on the CCTV monitor in Tag's office. She had thought to make the most of his absence - Cable had washed his hands of the Sector 4 affair, instead sending Tag out to investigate the huge amount of power they were using there - to steal his much larger workspace, but the scenes the monitors were conveying provided a horrifying distraction. It seemed something had the Skinks in a tizzy. Days ago they had suddenly gone berserk, rampaging through the streets, attacking city dwellers and vandalising everything in their path. Even now, bands of green-painted thugs could still appear at random around any street corner, brandishing clubs and worse, and scaring half the city into their homes. One group was currently laying waste to the area of Sector 6 just outside the power station. One reminder that the Technicians still had access to Techno weaponry prevented them from coming any further of course, but that didn't stop them from attacking other parts of the power grid - substations and the like - and Spinner and Cable were in a fury at having to fix everything and deal with angry citizens complaining about power cuts, as if they had forgotten about the hordes of marauding Skinks. Not for the first time she hoped Tag was taking care of himself out there.

If the Technicians had it bad, the Mallrats had it worse. As City Leader, Amber was expected to keep the peace, and only a hastily assembled police force had prevented the Skinks from causing any major damage to the city's infrastructure since the substation attacks. Even so, the people were angry. If most of them weren't too scared to take to the streets there would probably have been lynch mobs waiting outside the mall by now.

At least the unrest in the city seemed to have affected Plague, too. There had been no new messages at the mall since the riots began, and she had heard of no further Unit 12 deaths - the police patrols would certainly have picked up on those, and she had made Ruby and Ellie promise to tell her if they heard of any.

The view on the monitor changed again and she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the Skinks moving away from the power station. More importantly, they were also heading east, away from Sector 4. Tag would be safe - from this group at least. She would have preferred it had he not had to go out there at all.

Standing, she moved over to the wall to study the large map of the City that was attached there. Propping her elbow up with her other hand, she rested her chin on her fist and pursed her lips in thought. The Sector 4 problem puzzled her. The small number of green-filled boxes showed it was one of the least populated sectors of the city, and had been since the Chosen first used it as their base of operations, by all accounts. There was the youth centre of course, which housed the Strays, and half a dozen or so small tribes dotted round and about, all of whom denied using more than their fair share of electricity. All things considered, Link didn't even think it was possible for the whole of Sector 4 together to use up the amount of power they were somehow sucking from the system. There _must_ be something wrong in the substation there, whatever Spinner said to the contrary. Tracing her finger across the map, she located it. There, in the middle of an industrial estate, the only building in use on the estate according to the map. She studied the neighbouring buildings, just out of curiosity. Mostly abandoned warehouses and a couple of factories. Nothing that could be used in this day and age. And one wedge-shaped building, labelled as…

Her breath caught. That facility had belonged to Pandorax. In conversations with Ellie she had found out that Pandorax were the pharmaceutical company ultimately responsible for creating the Virus. Her brain was starting to make connections, and she didn't like where they were leading. A building that no doubt still held equipment capable of conducting biochemical experiments, in a sector experiencing unexplained power surges, in a city where a hidden madman was messing with viruses and holding her former friends captive. Her fists clenched. She had found Plague's hideout, she was sure of it.

She had to tell the Mallrats, only she knew there was no way she would be able to get to the mall without running into the Skinks. Even if she took a zapper, she didn't rate her chances against those crazies, and there were bound to be plenty lurking around the mall. They seemed to have a vendetta against the Mallrats, no doubt because of their authority in the city. She frowned. Even if she could reach the mall, Ellie was so caught up in trying to make sure Jack was safe from the Skinks, and Ruby would no doubt go haring off straight into danger on her own once she heard what Link had to say.

She couldn't just sit back and do nothing, though - not when the Skinks could be on the rampage for days yet. Maybe…if she went to Sector 4 herself, she could scout the place out. That way she would at least have more information to give to Ellie and Ruby. And if she was right, if Plague was hiding out there, she would be able to recognise his Unit 12 prisoners if they were to come in and out of the building, and maybe even Plague himself.

Having decided on her course of action, she rummaged through the desk drawers until she found an old zapper, left a note to say she had gone to help Tag in case Spinner came to check up on her, and left the office, determination plastered on her face. By the time she passed through the main entrance hall of the power station and out onto the city streets, not even the Skinks would have challenged her.


End file.
